SOMALIA - PUNTLAND PRESIDENT ON PIRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 000782

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/E

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MARR PINR SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PUNTLAND PRESIDENT ON PIRACY

REF: A. NAIROBI 633

B. NAIROBI 662

Classified By: Ambassador Michael Ranneberger. Reasons: 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) Summary: In an April 16 tour d'horizon between
President Mohamud "Faroole" and his team, and the Ambassador
and Mission team, Faroole defined his Puntland
Administration's main tasks as re-organizing the security
forces and improving revenue collection mechanisms. Faroole
told the Ambassador that sixty pirates are serving sentences
of three to twenty years in Puntland prisons. Coastal piracy
havens are all on Puntland's largely inaccessible coast, the
President said, putting them beyond the reach of his
Administration's underfunded police forces. Faroole sketched
a future, more democratic Puntland with a new constitution
and multi-party elections. Faroole said he had a very
constructive meeting with TFG Prime Minister Sharmarke while
both were in Nairobi. Faroole said that while he is
skeptical the TFG can expand its authority beyond Mogadishu,
he is open to increased cooperation President Sharif and
wants to meet with him. End summary.

Willingness to Support
Puntland
--------------


2. (C) Puntland Administration President Abdirahman Mohamed
Mohamud Faroole, who has been in office since January 2009,
traveled to Nairobi April 15 with senior members of his
government at our our invitation for a tour d'horizon with
the Ambassador and Mission team. The Puntland President is
an Australian citizen who is no newcomer to Puntland or
Somali politics. With him at the meeting were a number of
Puntland Administration ministers (for list, see para 11),
who were all carrying foreign passports as well.


3. (C) The Ambassador opened the meeting by laying out key
elements of the U.S. relationship with Puntland. The
Ambassador noted that, while we see Puntland as an integral
part of Somalia, we recognize the importance of Puntland as a
regional authority. We want Puntland to play a constructive
role in helping to bring about a stable Somalia. In that
regard, it is important that Puntland support the
Transitional Federal Government of President Sharif. The
Ambassador noted that the U.S. may be able to expand
engagement with Puntland on security and development if
Puntland plays a constructive role, but that made no
commitments. The Ambassador emphasized the need for action
by Puntland against pirates. He thanked President Faroole
for his supportive press comments during the Maersk Alabama
pirating.

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Puntland Priorities
--------------


4. (C) Faroole emphasized the importance he attaches to his
relationship with the U.S. and said he wants to work more
closely together. Noting that he had been a founding member
of the Puntland government and had helped draft its
constitution, he said that "the Puntland government only
exists pending establishment of a viable national federal
government." He outlined his Administration's priorities as
re-organizing the security sector and improving revenue
collection systems. Improvements in security since his
election have led to the capture of ten pirates, who have
received sentences ranging from three to twenty years.
Puntland has sixty pirates in prison at the moment.


5. (C) In pleading for increased U.S. assistance, Faroole
stressed Puntland's strategic importance. It comprises
one-third of Somalia's land area and its extended coastline,
the second longest in Africa's after South Africa, make it
both a source of piracy and key to resolution of the piracy
problem. Puntland had been neglected during the Siad Barre
era. It has no surfaced airports and only one paved road, a
700 kilometer north - south highway. The key to piracy,
Faroole said, was alleviating poverty, as well as improving
Puntland's security capacity. He urged that the USG, in
addition to providing aid from its own sources, intercede
with wealthy Gulf states.

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Democratic Governance
--------------


6. (C) Faroole maintained that Puntland is moving toward a

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multi-party system (in eighteen months) and would soon unveil
a new constitution. In pursuit of those goals, he has
appointed a minister of state for good governance in the
Office of the President. The Ambassador encouraged his
commitment to democratic development. Faroole also
emphasized the importance of a national Somali government
having a federal structure. In the southern part of Somalia,
he noted, there are efforts to form a "Jubbaland" regional
government similar to that of Puntland. We pointed out that
we are providing some assistance for democratic governance
and are prepared to consider expanding this if the democratic
process moves forward and if security conditions permit. We
also pointed out that we are providing about $20 million in
humanitarian assistance to Puntland annually.


7. (C) The Ambassador emphasized the importance of media
freedom as a component of democratic development, and he
expressed USG concern with the
two-year sentence meted out to freelance journalist Feyte.
Faroole noted that Feyte has been pardoned (on the eve of
Faroole's meeting with the Ambassador.) The Ambassador also
stressed the importance of the Puntland government reaching
out to Somalis in the region to explain their democratic
objectives and to help counter al-Shabaab extremism. He
proposed, and Faroole accepted, that senior Puntland
officials sit down with the Somalia Unit and the Mission's
public affairs team to concert strategy. Faroole said that
the best way to counter al-Shabaab extremism is to focus
Somalis on appreciation for their traditional culture,
including through poetry and plays to strengthen inter-clan
bonds.

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Piracy and Security Issues
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8. (C) The Ambassador noted three main security issues:
counter-terrorism cooperation; cooperation against piracy;
and providing security support for the TFG. He welcomed
continuing anti-terrorism collaboration. The Ambassador
emphasized the need for Puntland to do more to counter
piracy. Puntland Anti-Piracy Commissioner, General Abdi
Hassan Mohamed, lamented to the Ambassador the reluctance of
international shipping lines to let the Puntland Coast Guard
board pirated ships by force. He sketched a plan to
establish anti-piracy installations along the coast. The
"pirate" villages, he said, are in remote locations, not
connected by road and separated by mountains from the rest of
the mainland, making them inaccessible, except by boat.
Internationally-supported efforts to establish bases in key
towns would allow Puntland to establish a chokehold on
piracy. Mohamed urged that Puntland not be left on the
sidelines during international anti-piracy conferences, and
that the international community understand that pirates are
as much an enemy of Puntland as of the international
community. Despite rumors and speculation that elements of
the Puntland government benefit from piracy, Faroole said he
is against the payment of ransom. The al-Shabaab, he
claimed, financially benefits from piracy.


9. (C) The Ambassador pressed Faroole on the need to assist
the TFG with security support. Faroole said that he is
willing to do so, but can only do so if the TFG pays the
costs. Additionally, Faroole emphasized the need for the
Joint Security Force that the TFG is developing, with support
from the U.S. and others, to be inclusive.

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Relations with TFG
--------------


10. (C) Faroole was generally positive about President Sharif
and the TFG, but skeptical that they will be able to expand
TFG authority beyond Mogadishu. Nevertheless, Faroole said,
he is willing to collaborate with the TFG to develop a
federal constitution and to work with the TFG, including on
security as stated above. While welcoming the co-existence
of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG),Faroole
stressed that Mogadishu was the capital of "all Somalis,"
including Puntlanders and stressed the need for Puntland's
interests and views to be taken into account as the TFG seeks
to expand its authority. Puntland, unlike Somaliland, is not
contemplating secession, he said. Faroole said his April 15
meeting with TFG Prime Minister Sharmarke was excellent
(Sharmarke confirmed this). They are members of the same
clan and understand each other. He told the Prime Minister
that he would like to meet TFG President Sharif in order to
discuss federalism, in order to ensure that the TFG is not

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contemplating the establishment of a unitary state that would
leave Puntland with little autonomy. Also on his agenda with
President Sharif would be security cooperation, Faroole said.
Faroole said he would also want to discuss revenue
collection sharing, as well as clan and regional imbalances
in Parliament. Working together with Somalia's local
administrations and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama'a, progress can be
made against al-Shabaab.

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Participants
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11. (U) The Puntland delegation included Minister of Planning
and International Cooperation Farah A. Dala, State Minister
for Democratization Dr. Jimale Abdi Hassan, Director General
Issa Mohamud Farah, Secretary to the President Yusuf Mohamud
Hassan, and Anti-Piracy Commissioner, General Abdi Hassan
Mohamed. The Ambassador was joined by the Somalia Unit, as
well as representatives from USAID and other elements of the
Mission.
RANNEBERGER