DJIBOUTI: GEN WARD MEETING WITH DJIBOUTIAN CHOD MG FATHI

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000195

SIPDIS
NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/17
TAGS: PINS PTER MOPS MASS DJ ER SO YM
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: GEN WARD MEETING WITH DJIBOUTIAN CHOD MG FATHI

REF: 10 DJIBOUTI 03; 09 DJIBOUTI 1403; TD-314/010840-10

CLASSIFIED BY: James Swan, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(A),(B),(C),(D)


1. (C) Summary: In a friendly hour-long meeting with
AFRICOM Commander General William Ward on February 10, Djiboutian
Chief of Defense Staff Major General Fathi Ahmed Houssein reviewed
threats from Yemen, Somalia, and Eritrea and appealed for
additional U.S. assistance to preserve Djibouti as a point of
stability in a turbulent region. While appreciative of USG
security cooperation to date, Fathi urged further support for
maritime patrol capability, border security (including border posts
and radar/sensors),and basic materiel (some of which Fathi
believed could be satisfied by U.S. Excess Defense Articles).
Highlighting current threats, Fathi said Djiboutian security forces
were that day responding to a report that four Al-Qaeda operatives
had crossed from Yemen to Obock, in Northern Djibouti, and he noted
other recent cases in which Djiboutian security successfully
tracked potential terrorist-affiliated individuals or other
dangerous elements. GEN Ward reassured Fathi that the USG is
grateful for Djibouti's close security partnership; understands the
risks from Yemen, Somalia, and Eritrea; is pleased to have an
active current security cooperation program; and is looking for
additional ways to assist Djibouti enhance its security. End
summary.




2. (SBU) Visiting AFRICOM Commander General William Ward
called February 10 on Djiboutian Chief of Defense Staff MG Fathi
Ahmed Houssein. Also present on the Djiboutian side were BG Osman
Nour Soubagleh (East Africa Standby Force Commander),MAJ Fouad
Elmi Waiss (FAD Liaison to CJTF-HOA),and LT Ibrahim Zakaria
(Director of International Relations). U.S. participants included
Ambassador James Swan, CJTF-HOA Commander RDML Anthony Kurta,
AFRICOM POLAD Raymond Brown, Embassy Djibouti Defense Attache LTC
E.J. Dupont, and other AFRICOM staff.



Fathi Highlights Threats to Djibouti

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3. (S/NF) Fathi said that recent increased pressure on
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) would leave extremists in
Yemen few options other than to flee to Djibouti or Somalia. He
said he had just received reports from sources in Yemen that four
Al Qaeda operatives had crossed to Obock, in northern Djibouti (Ref
C). Djiboutian security (NFI) were responding that very day by
checking mosques, Koranic schools, and other locations in an effort
to track these individuals. Fathi reviewed other recent cases in
which Djiboutian security had acted in response to potential
threats: a week earlier, he said, a Koranic school teacher with
ties to al-Shabaab was caught and expelled from the country.
Later in the conversation, he described the arrest of six
"troublemakers" ("malfaiteurs" - a term often used to describe
armed bands of ethnic Afar youth that operate in some areas of the
country) who were then turned over to the Government of Ethiopia.




4. (C ) Turning only briefly to Eritrea, Fathi repeated GODJ
assertions that 200 or more infiltrators had crossed into Djibouti
from the north, with the support of Eritrean President Isaias.
Fathi claimed that these infiltrators did not threaten Djibouti
militarily, but could cause small disruptions. Later in the
conversation, he stated that Eritrea's occupation of territory in
northern Djibouti had required the FAD to increase its force
strength by 2,000-3,000 troops. While the GODJ bore the extra cost
of salaries, food, lodging, logistics, etc. for these forces, it
counted on its international partners to support its equipment
needs.



Djiboutian Security Assistance Needs

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5. (C) Fathi went on to outline Djiboutian requests for

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assistance to enhance security. These included:

--Excess Defense Articles to help meet requirements for basic
military supplies;

--two 30-40 meter patrol boats to extend the reach of Djibouti's
navy;

--mobile radars or other sensor systems to improve security for
Djibouti's porous borders;

--rehabilitation of Djibouti's border posts, especially along the
borders with Somalia and Eritrea.




6. (C ) Probed by GEN Ward to elaborate on border security
requirements, Fathi explained that a detailed survey had been
completed by CENTCOM in 2002 of what was needed to rehabilitate
Djiboutian border posts. There are 23 border posts in Djibouti, he
said, typically 30-40 kms apart. In many areas, the terrain is
mountainous or desert, making physical monitoring of these gaps
difficult. Even on Djibouti's border with Somalia/Somaliland
(which is only 12 km from Camp Lemonnier),the GODJ has difficulty
monitoring individuals who cross at locations other than the
now-collapsed formal border crossing, including smugglers, illegal
immigrants, and possible terrorists. (Ambassador noted that FY
2009 S/CT funding of $500,000 will support rehabilitation of the
Loyada Border Post and provide other limited border security
assistance at that location. Both GEN Ward and RDML Kurta
commented that force protection for Camp Lemonnier personnel would
be improved, if the nearby border were better secured.)




7. (C ) Wrapping up his appeal for assistance, Fathi stressed
that Djibouti remains "the only point of stability and peace in the
region" but "we need to be careful," because inattention to
emerging threats could lead to insecurity. The GODJ seeks only
modest assistance to its defense and security sector. If Djibouti
were to become "another Somalia" donor partners would be forced to
spend multiples of current amounts on additional humanitarian and
counter-extremist operations.



GEN Ward Praises Partnership, Acknowledges Needs


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8. (C ) In his comments throughout the meeting, GEN Ward
praised the close USG-GODJ partnership that encouraged Fathi to
speak openly about Djibouti's security requirements. GEN Ward said
the USG shared Djiboutian concerns over threats emanating from
Somalia, Yemen, and Eritrea. In recent months, Yemen has become an
increasing focus of attention. He reviewed the close USG security
cooperation with Djibouti, including not only longer-term Foreign
Military Financing programs, but also more recent USG support, such
as that provided by the Combatant Commander's Initiative Fund to
support the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) Field Training
Exercise (FTX) in November 2009; creation of a new U.S. Navy Harbor
Security Unit for the Port of Djibouti; and Djibouti's inclusion as
a partner in the African Contingency Operations Training and
Assistance (ACOTA) program. He acknowledged the remaining
significant needs of the Djiboutian military, and agreed to follow
up in an effort to respond. He noted that he would soon return to
Washington to testify before Congressional oversight committees
responsible for future funding decisions.






9. (C) COMMENT: The atmosphere was warm and friendly
throughout the encounter, as Generals Ward and Fathi discussed as
partners how to cooperate to meet common security objectives. Post
will follow up through the Defense Attache to develop further
details of the defense requirements outlined by MG Fathi in order
to present them for decision. Fathi's appeal should be seen in the
context of other recent discussions with President Ismail Omar

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Guelleh and National Security Advisor Hassan Said, who have
presented similar threat analyses and requests for support -
particularly to secure Djibouti against extremist threats from
Somalia and Yemen (Refs A and B).




10. (U) GEN Ward has cleared this cable.
SWAN