SOMALIA DESIGNATIONS: RESPONSE TO USUN REQUEST TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 118371

SIPDIS
FOR TFCO (AT EMBASSIES LONDON AND PARIS)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2019
TAGS: KPMO MARR MOPS PGOV PHUM PREL PTER XW UNSC
SUBJECT: SOMALIA DESIGNATIONS: RESPONSE TO USUN REQUEST TO
ENGAGE BEYOND P3

REF: A. (A) USUN NEW YORK 986

B. (B) STATE 96937

Classified By: EEB/ESC Acting DAS Thomas

L. Delare for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) This is an action request for USUN (see para 3) and
for Embassies London and Paris (see para 9 and 10).

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Background
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2. (C) The Somalia Sanctions Committee's Monitoring Group
(MG) has provided the Committee with a list of targets it
believes meet the listing criteria in paragraph 8 of UNSC
resolution 1844 (2008). The U.S. plans to propose to the
Somalia Sanctions Committee for listing a number of the MG's
suggested targets and four additional targets before November

20. USUN shared with the UK and France on September 19 the
list of names the U.S. supports designating in the UN
Security Council's Committee established pursuant to
resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia ("the Somalia
Sanctions Committee")(ref A). The next step is to share the
U.S. target list with the rest of the Somalia Sanctions
Committee in order to begin negotiations on a designation
package.


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Guidance on engagement and USUN action request
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3. (SBU) Washington supports USUN's request to engage with
members of the Somalia Sanctions Committee beyond the P-3,
beginning with Russia and China in order to negotiate a
designation package. Washington also supports USUN's
proposal of sharing with the P-5 and other Committee members
the following list of potential targets, with the caveat that
Washington clearance on these names does not necessarily
reflect final USG intent to list:

- Yasin Ali Baynah;
- Hassan Dahir Aweys;
- Hassan Abdullah Hersi Al-Turki;
- Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed "Godane";
- Fuad Mohamed Khalaf (aka Fuad Shongale) (additional name
proposed by U.S.);
- Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud (additional name proposed by U.S.);
- Mohamed Sa'id "Atom" (additional name proposed by U.S.);
- Abshir Abdullahi "Boyah";
- Mohamed Abdi Garaad;
- Fares Mohammed Mana'a (additional name proposed by U.S.);
- Yemane Gebreab (Eritrean); and,
- Al-Shabaab (entity).


4. (SBU) Washington also supports sharing with the P-5 and
other Committee members that although the Monitoring Group
recommends designating Hisbl al-Islam, the U.S. Government is
opposed to designating the entity Hisbl al-Islam at this time
due to concerns that doing so could potentially prevent
political reconciliation with the TFG in the future.


5. (C) Washington does not support engagement on the list of
potential targets beyond the Somalia Sanctions Committee,
including with the Somali UN mission in New York. Our
potential target list should be treated as classified
information until the time of the designations to prevent
potential asset flight. USUN may inform the Somali Mission
that it is considering potential targets and discussing
designations with the Committee.


6. (SBU) Washington supports providing to Somalia Sanctions
Committee members the unclassified Statements of Case (SOC)
in para 7 below for the four targets that were not part of
the Monitoring Group's target list and also the additional
unclassified SOC information in para 8 for a target that was
proposed by the Monitoring Group.


7. (U - Releasable to Somalia Sanctions Committee members)
Statement of Case

STATE 00118371 002 OF 004



(1) Fuad Mohamed Khalaf (aka Fuad Shongale) (additional name
proposed by U.S.);
Name: Fuad Mohamed Khalaf
AKA: Fuad Mohamed Khalif
AKA: Fuad Mohamed Qalaf
AKA: Fuad Mohammed Kalaf
AKA: Fuad Mohamed Kalaf
AKA: Fuad Mohammed Khalif
AKA: Fuad Khalaf
AKA: Fuad Shongale
AKA: Fuad Shongole
AKA: Fuad Shangole
AKA: Fuad Songale
AKA: Fouad Shongale
AKA: Fuad Muhammad Khalaf Shongole
Nationality: Somali
Alt. Nationality: Swedish
Address: Mogadishu, Somalia
Alt. Address: Somalia

Khalaf has facilitated financial support to al-Shabaab; in
May 2008 he held two fundraising events for al-Shabaab at
mosques in Kismaayo, Somalia. In April 2008, Khalaf and
several other individuals directed vehicle borne explosive
device attacks on Ethiopian bases and TFG elements in
Mogadishu, Somalia. In May 2008, Khalaf and a group of
fighters attacked and captured a police station in Mogadishu,
killing and wounding several soldiers.

(2) Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud (additional name proposed by
U.S.);
Name: Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud
AKA: Bashir Mohamed Mahmoud
AKA: Bashir Mahmud Mohammed
AKA: Bashir Mohamed Mohamud
AKA: Bashir Mohamed Mohamoud
AKA: Bashir Yare
AKA: Bashir Qorgab
AKA: Gure Gap
AKA: Abu Muscab
AKA: Qorgab
DOB: Circa 1979-1982
Alt. DOB: 1982
Nationality: Somali
Address: Mogadishu, Somalia

Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud is a military commander of
al-Shabaab, an E.O. 13224-listed entity. Mahamoud was also
one of approximately 10 members on al-Shabaab's leadership
council as of late 2008. Mahamoud and an associate were in
charge of the 10 June 2009 mortar attack against the Somali
Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu. Additionally,
as of 2007, Mahamoud coordinated al-Qa'ida activity in
Somalia.

(3) Mohamed Sa'id "Atom" (additional name proposed by U.S.);
Name: Mohamed Sa'id
AKA: "Atom"
AKA: Mohamed Sa'id Atom
AKA: Mohamed Siad Atom
DOB: Circa 1966
POB: Galgala, Somalia
Location: Galgala, Somalia
Alt. Location: Badhan, Somalia

MOHAMED SA'ID "ATOM" has engaged in acts that threaten the
peace, security or stability of Somalia.

ATOM also has directly or indirectly supplied, sold, or
transferred to Somalia arms or related materiel or advice,
training, or assistance, including financing and financial
assistance, related to military activities.

ATOM has been identified as one of the principal suppliers of
arms and ammunition for al-Shabaab operations in the Puntland
region. He is described as the leader of a militia that
emerged in 2006 in the eastern Sanaag region of northern
Somalia. The militia comprises as many as 250 fighters and
has been implicated in incidents of kidnapping, piracy and
terrorism, and imports its own weapons, in violation of the
arms embargo. ATOM has established his force as the
principal military presence in the area, with a primary base
near Galgala and a secondary base near Badhan. According to

STATE 00118371 003 OF 004


some information, ATOM is aligned with al-Shabaab and may
receive instructions from al-Shabaab leader Fu'aad Mohamed
Khalaf.

ATOM's forces were implicated in the kidnapping of a German
aid worker, in the kidnapping of two Somalis near Bossaso,
and in a bombing of Ethiopian migrants in Bossaso on 5
February 2008, which killed 20 people and wounded over 100
others. ATOM's militia may also have played a secondary role
in the kidnapping of a German couple captured by pirates in
June 2008.

ATOM is reportedly involved in arms trafficking. Information
from a number of sources indicates that his forces receive
arms and equipment from Yemen and Eritrea. According to a
December 2008 report, "An eyewitness described six such
shipments during a four-week period in early 2008, each
sufficient to fill two pickup trucks with small arms,
ammunition, and rocket-propelled grenades." According to a
Bossaso businessman familiar with the arms trade, ATOM's
consignments do not enter the arms market, suggesting that
they are either retained for the use of his forces or are
transferred to recipients in southern Somalia, where
al-Shabaab operates.

(4) Fares Mohammed Mana'a (additional name proposed by U.S.).
Name: Fares Mohammed Mana'a
AKA: Faris Mana'a
AKA: Fares Mohammed Manaa
DOB: February 8, 1965
POB: Sadah, Yemen
Passport No.: 00514146
Place of Issue: Sanaa, Yemen
ID Card No.: 1417576
Place of Issue: Al-Amana, Yemen
Date of Issue: January 7, 1996

FARES MOHAMMED MANA'A has directly or indirectly supplied,
sold or transferred to Somalia arms or related materiel.

Background Information

MANA'A is a known arms trafficker. In October 2009, the
Yemeni government released a blacklist of arms dealers with
MANA'A "on top," as part of an effort to stem the flood of
weapons in the country, where weapons reportedly outnumber
people. "Faris Manaa is a major weapons trafficker, and
that's well known," according to June 2009 reporting by a
U.S. journalist who is a commentator on Yemeni affairs,
authors a semi-annual country report, and has contributed to
Jane's Intelligence Group. In a December 2007 Yemen Times
article, he is referenced as "Sheikh Fares Mohammed Mana'a,
an arms dealer." In a January 2008 Yemen Times article, he
is referred to as "Sheikh Faris Mana'a, an arms tradesman."

Ties to Arms Trafficking into Somalia

In 2004, MANA'A was involved in weapons contracts from
Eastern Europe for weapons allegedly marketed to Somali
fighters.

As of mid-2008, Yemen continues to serve as a hub for illegal
arms shipments to the Horn of Africa, particularly arms
shipments by boat to Somalia. There are unconfirmed reports
that FARIS MANA'A has participated in shipments to Somalia on
numerous occasions.

Despite the Somalia UN arms embargo since 1992, MANA'A's
interest in trafficking arms into Somalia can be traced back
at least to 2003. MANA'A made an offer to buy thousands of
arms in 2003 from Eastern Europe, and indicated that he
planned to sell some of the arms in Somalia.


8. (U - Releasable to Somalia Sanctions Committee members)
Statement of Case - target proposed by the Monitoring Group

Yemane Ghebreab (additional information on name proposed by
the Monitoring Group)

Name: Yemane Ghebreab
AKA: Yemane Gebre Ab
AKA: Yemane Gebreab
AKA: Yemane Ghebreab W. Yohannes
DOB: July 21, 1951

STATE 00118371 004 OF 004


POB: Asmara, Eritrea
Passport No.: D000901
Passport type: Diplomatic, Eritrean
Passport No.: D001082
Passport type: Diplomatic, Eritrean
Address: 12 Keren Street, Asmara, Eritrea
Alt. Address: Tegadelti Street, Asmara, Eritrea

YEMANE GHEBREAB has engaged in acts that threaten the peace,
security or stability of Somalia.

YEMANE has directly or indirectly supplied, sold, or
transferred to Somalia arms or related materiel or advice,
training, or assistance, including financing and financial
assistance, related to military activities.

The Government of Eritrea formally rejects the Djibouti peace
agreement of 18 August 2008, denies the legitimacy of the
Transitional Federal Government ((TFG)) and opposes the
presence of African Union forces (AMISOM) on Somali soil.
YEMANE is the Head of Political Affairs and senior advisor on
Somali issues for the Eritrean president. A number of
independent and mutually corroborating sources, including
senior officials of the opposition group the Alliance for the
Re-Liberation of Somalia, have identified YEMANE as a primary
interlocutor on behalf of the Eritrean government with armed
opposition groups threatening the TFG or AMISOM.

YEMANE is the primary strategic advisor to the president in
Asmara. YEMANE is considered the most senior official under
the president working on Somali issues. YEMANE coordinates
Asmara's activities with Somali opposition groups.

In 2008, YEMANE allegedly was involved in planning weapons
shipments into Somalia.

In 2007, YEMANE devised a strategy to support jihadist
militias in Somalia to attack the TFG and Ethiopia. YEMANE
also raised funds to support his efforts.

In 2007, YEMANE reportedly was involved in procuring military
materiel for al-Shabaab jihadists in Somalia.

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Action request for Embassies London and Paris
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9. (SBU) For Embassies London and Paris: Washington requests
that Embassies provide the list of names in para 3 above to
respective counterparts. Additionally, inform host
governments that the U.S. intends to propose names for
listing in the Somalia Sanctions Committee o/a 20 November,
the one year anniversary of the adoption of the targeted
measures (reftel B). The U.S. seeks views from the UK and
France, and any additional information host governments have,
primarily bio-identifiers, on Colonel Te'ame/Dha'ami Goitom;
Mohamed Abdi Hassan "Afweyne" and Abshir Caato (aka Abshir
Ato). Embassies may also provide host governments the
Statements of Case in paras 6 and 7 above.


10. (SBU) Washington also requests that Embassies ask host
governments for their opinions on designating al-Shabaab in
the UNSC Somalia Sanctions Committee and/or the UNSC 1267
(al-Qaida/Taliban) Sanctions Committee. Washington supports
sharing that although the Monitoring Group recommends
designating Hisbl al-Islam, the U.S. Government is opposed to
designating the entity Hisbl al-Islam at this time due to
concerns that doing so could potentially prevent political
reconciliation with the TFG in the future.

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Points of contact and reporting deadline
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11. (U) Please direct any questions or comments on this
response and request to EEB/ESC/TFS (Jay J. Jallorina),
IO/PSC (Jean T Clark),or USUN (Ashley K Orbach). Posts are
requested to report back on responses from other governments
by November 20.


12. (U) Department appreciates Posts' efforts.
CLINTON