INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Somalia - Pd Activities Update, November 30

Published: Mon 30 Nov 2009 02:11 PM
VZCZCXRO2752
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2427 3341411
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301411Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1663
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS NAIROBI 002427
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/RSA AND AF/E
ALSO FOR S/CT ZROTHSCHILD
ALSO FOR IIP/CTCC MAUSTEIN AND JVANDEVELDE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO PTER MOPS SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, NOVEMBER 30
REF: 07 STATE 116686
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Summary
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1. (SBU) Per reftel, Post submits the following update for
the third week of November 2009. End Summary.
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PD Activities
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2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information
Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-9
activities since the last report:
3. (SBU) PAO remains engaged with the Transitional Federal
Government's (TFG) Minister of Information in an effort to
assist the minister in his efforts to more effectively
articulate the TFG,s viewpoints. PAO has attended two
meetings of the UN-lead group aiming to coordinate all
countries, and organizations, efforts to assist the TFG,s
outreach efforts, with a parallel focus on freedom of the
press and journalists in Somalia. No country has dedicated
funds to the Ministry of Information as of this writing; Post
feels strongly that once one of the actors makes a first
move, several will follow in short order. The importance of
this effort cannot be understated. On a related note,
broadcasts from the newly-revamped Radio Mogadishu were
temporarily interrupted by a transmitter ) reportedly
erected by al-Shabaab in Mogadishu - purposely broadcasting
on the same frequency as Radio Mogadishu; the jamming has
since stopped.
4. (SBU) Post hosted the orientation visit of the AF/PDPA
officer whose portfolio includes Somalia. The officer
attended a series of internal and external meetings,
highlighted by a day trip to Dadaab and an afternoon in
Eastleigh, Nairobi's Somalia enclave. Post remains grateful
to the AF/PDPA leadership for their support of our efforts
towards Somalia, including the assignment of this officer to
the Somalia portfolio.
5. (SBU) PAO, MIST, and the visiting AF/PDPA officer traveled
to Dadaab refugee camps on November 16 to deliver over 800
sports uniforms, as well as soccer balls and volleyballs, to
youth-led sports leagues in all three camps that practice
conflict resolution in the context of their sports matches.
The uniforms were adorned with U.S. flags on one sleeve,
marking a significant step forward in our efforts to more
fully brand our Somalia PD work.
6. (SBU) PAO remains engaged with the UN Support Office for
AMISOM (UNSOA) in the context of UNSOA,s work to stand up a
new radio station in Mogadishu. The station will not be
heavily AMISOM-oriented, but will represent a new media
outlet by which Somalis will be able to receive credible news
reporting and cultural programming. Members of the
three-company consortium that will manage the station have
arrived in Nairobi, and PAO is consulting with them as needed.
7. (SBU) The infighting among Somali journalists continues
and will be reported on in detail in septel. Most recently,
the Dutch organization Press Now conducted a workshop in
partnership with one of the Somali journalist unions, but
with the precondition of the exclusion of members of certain
other journalist unions. PAO briefed the organizer, Press
Now, at their request, on some of the dynamics of this
ongoing conflict.
8. (SBU) MIST activity: MIST met with the National Council
of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) to coordinate a late November
performance by the 3rd Light of the community Drama group, a
drama club in the Dadaab refugee camps whose work is centered
on themes like peace and reconciliation. MIST is also
working with a comic book production team to pre-test a youth
anti-violence comic prototype. MIST partners rebroadcast
sheikh lectures & youth drama episodes in Central Somalia on
Radio Daljir.
9. (SBU) MIST activity (cont.): A new MIST is scheduled to
arrive in Nairobi on the evening of November 30.
RANNEBERGER
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