DJIBOUTI - CLAN CONFLICT LEAVES FOUR DEAD IN SOMALILAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000921 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/07/14 TAGS: PINS PREL PTER DJ SO SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI - CLAN CONFLICT LEAVES FOUR DEAD IN SOMALILAND CLASSIFIED BY: James Swan, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) 1.(C) A conflict between Isaak and Gadabursi resulted in the execution of at least four men at roadside in the vicinity of Dela, in western Somaliland, on July 12, according to a senior Djiboutian security official. By unhappy coincidence, one of the dead was the father of an Embassy Djibouti FSN. According to accounts provided by her family, passengers on a bus traveling between Boroma and Hargeisa were stopped by armed men. After disembarking, the passengers were separated by sex, with the men taken away and executed. There are conflicting reports as to how many were killed (the family's initial report was 17 dead; GODJ security officials say 4) and the method of execution (initial report was that they were shot; GODJ reports their throats were slit). ¶2. (C) This incident has prompted concern among senior GODJ security officials, in view of its proximity to DJibouti (less than 75 km from the border) and of the significant minority Isaak and Gadabursi populations who live here. In response, the Djiboutian Chief of Police told us he had added more visible police checkpoints in Djibouti city and on the way to the border. ¶3. (C) Presidency Secretary General Ismail Tani raised the incident with Ambassador on July 13, saying he feared that al-Shabaab or other extremist elements may be deliberately stoking clan tensions in Somaliland. As one of the most senior Djiboutian officials involved in Somalia issues, Tani is usually well-informed and balanced in his assessments. ¶4. (C) Comment: We defer to the Somalia Unit for more detailed information from Somaliland sources about this incident, and for analysis of its implications. But it clearly has our GODJ security contacts worried about new threats that may be emerging in Somaliland. SWAN