SOMALIA - TFG MILITARY RECRUIT GRADUATION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002199 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/E, AF/RSA AND PM DJIBOUTI FOR FO, SOMALIA WATCHER, DATT ADDIS AND KAMPALA FOR POL SECTION LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER AFRICOM AND CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2019 TAGS: MOPS MASS PHUM PREL DJ SO FR SUBJECT: SOMALIA - TFG MILITARY RECRUIT GRADUATION, DEPARTURE, RECPTION AND FOLLOW-UP REF: A. NAIROBI 1966 ¶B. NAIROBI 2132 ¶C. DJIBOUTI 1219 Classified By: Somalia Unit Deputy Joe Trimble, reasons 1.4 (A) and (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On October 15, 463 Somali military recruits trained by the Djiboutian Armed Forces (FAD) and 152 (including 8 officers) trained by the French Forces in Djibouti (FFDJ) participated in a graduation ceremony at Djibouti's primary military education center. The Djiboutian Prime Minister presided over the ceremony, which marked the end of a month of joint training following eight weeks of basic training for the FAD group and six weeks of basic training for the FFDJ group. A host of Djiboutian, USG, French and Somali officials attended the ceremony. The recruits returned to Somalia from October 17-20 on four USG-funded charter flights, one GODJ-funded charter flight and eight seats booked on a regularly scheduled commercial flight; they arrived in Mogadishu without incident. The success of the individual and joint training efforts exceeded the expectations of all parties involved. This continuing Djiboutian/French effort represents a key step forward in coordinating regional and international efforts to create institutions that can support Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and merits active USG support, in particular through participating in and/or coordinating Djiboutian/regional/international TFG recruit training efforts in Djibouti and providing the GODJ with durable assistance in the areas mentioned in ref (A). END SUMMARY. -------------- GRADUATION -------------- ¶2. (C) Djiboutian Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dieleita presided over the 0730 ceremony at the FAD flagship military education center, the Ecole Militaire at Holl Holl. Holl Holl is located 45 KM southwest from Djibouti City on the Djibouti City-Addis Ababa railway, about a 90-minute drive from town. The Prime Minister was joined by Djiboutian National Assembly president Arnaoud Idriss Ali and the Djiboutian Defense Minister Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed. In addition to addresses by the Djiboutian Prime Minister (in French) and the Chief of the Djiboutian Defense Staff, General Sheikh Zakaria Ibrahim (in Somali),the 90-minute ceremony included graduates taking the oath of service on the Koran, the awarding of special certificates to the eight best graduates, traditional dancing and singing and substantial refreshment. U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti James Swan, Embassy Nairobi,s Djibouti Somalia Watcher and the CJTF-HOA deputy commander made up the USG delegation. A Somali delegation anchored by the Somali charge in Djibouti, Abdirahman Mohamed Hirabe, the Deputy Chief of the Somali Defense Staff, Admiral Farah Ahmed Omar and Member of Parliament from Mogadishu,s Medina District (where the group may eventually be billeted, ref B) Zeinab Mohamed and French Ambassador to Djibouti Dominique Decherf rounded out the dignitaries present. -------------- DEPARTURE/RECEPTION -------------- ¶3. (C) Embassy Djibouti received Department authorization to contract with Mogadishu-based Jubba Airlines to transfer all FAD-trained recruits that had cleared Leahy vetting back to Somalia on four round-trip flights from Djibouti City to Mogadishu. Two flights departed on October 17, one flight on October 18 and one morning flight on October 19. Eighteen FFDJ-trained recruits that had also cleared Leahy vetting traveled with the FAD-trained recruits on the October 19 flight. Jubba Airways also initially transported the recruits scheduled to be trained by the FAD to Djibouti from Somalia at the GODJ request before Embassy Djibouti had received its requested authorization to pay. Jubba Airlines billed the FAD USD 356,000 for these flights. This bill remains unpaid, to date; the FAD has requested USG payment assistance. NAIROBI 00002199 002.4 OF 002 ¶4. (C) The FAD also contracted with Jubba Airlines (after unsuccessful charter negotiations with Djibouti City-based Daallo Airlines) to transfer the remaining recruits to Somalia on one charter flight and eight seats on a regularly scheduled Daallo flight from Djibouti City to Mogadishu. The FAD-financed Jubba charter departed in the afternoon on October 19; the eight remaining recruits traveled on the regularly scheduled flight on October 20. ¶5. (C) Embassy Nairobi,s Djibouti Somalia Watcher witnessed the departure of the FAD-financed Jubba charter on October ¶19. The recruits arrived in several buses that traveled directly from Holl Holl to the Djibouti Ambouli International Airport reception area dedicated to the FAD. After boarding two airport buses, FAD officers escorted the recruits to their aircraft. Each recruit boarded after their name was called and they received a final congratulatory handshake from Colonel Ali, the doyenne of the FAD. Colonel Ali has served in the UK/Somali/Djiboutian military continuously since 1957. The FAD and Jubba Airlines managed the departure in a smooth and professional manner; the entire process from start to finish took less than one hour. ¶6. (C) Mr. Hirabe confirmed in conversations on October 19 and 20 that the recruits that departed from October 17-20 arrived without incident. The recruits were welcomed by Somali Minister of State for Defense Yusuf Mohamed Said "Indha Adde," AMISOM Force Commander MAJ GEN Nathan Mugisha and selected other dignitaries. Upon arrival, the recruits were immediately transferred to the AMISOM enclosure, where they will remain until the Medina barracks are completely ready for occupation (ref B). -------------- FOLLOW-UP -------------- ¶7. (C) The FFDJ began training its second group of TFG recruits during the first week of October. This group of approximately 350 more recruits is located at its training facility at Marian (just outside of Arta, 36 KM west of Djibouti City),as that center is the FFDJ training facility in Djibouti where the climate, terrain and accommodations best mirror that in the greater Mogadishu area. The first FFDJ-trained group received six weeks of basic training (ref A). However, current recruits will receive eight weeks, with the additional time including expanded sessions on team-building, civ-mil relations and human rights, to match the FAD-provided curriculum. It is possible that the Germans, Russian and EU may participate in any subsequent FFDJ-led training efforts in Djibouti requested by the TFG. The FAD expects to train approximately 550 more recruits. However, the timing for the FAD training of the next TFG group may slip until the beginning of 2010, given its commitment to the 1500-participant EASBRIG FTX scheduled for November 21-25 as well as to possibly expeditiously training a battalion for AMISOM (ref C). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The success of the month-long joint training effort and the reception in Mogadishu greatly exceeded the expectations of all parties involved. This continuing Djiboutian/French effort represents a key step forward in coordinating regional and international efforts to create institutions that can support the TFG and merits active USG support, in particular through participating in and/or coordinating Djiboutian/regional/international TFG recruit training efforts in Djibouti and providing the GODJ with durable assistance in the areas mentioned in ref (A). END COMMENT. RANNEBERGER