US embassy cable - 03DJIBOUTI1801

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001801 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ADDIS FOR REF COORD, NAIROBI FOR REDSO/DHS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2008 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, PHUM, DJ 
SUBJECT: MORE ON DONOR ACTIVITIES RE:EXPULSIONS 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 1674 
 
Classified By: CON CBEAMER for 1.5 (band d) 
 
Summary 
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1. (C)  The Djiboutian Government's announced expulsion order 
for all undocumented foreigners of August 31, later extended 
to September 15, brought to the surface the problem of asylum 
seekers currently in Djibouti.  The Djiboutian committee 
responsible with determining first asylum status has reviewed 
only 60 cases since 1995 and has not met in several years. 
UNHCR has some 2,500 registered asylum seekers (largely Oromo 
Ethiopians), and is dealing 
with an estimated 6-7,000 people located at the Aouraoussa 
transit center.  Djiboutian Interior Minister Abdoulkader 
Wais has told UN representatives that all of these 
individuals "shall be treated as asylum seekers." 
Consequently, UN capacity and resources are being turned from 
program mandates to address this displacement crisis created 
by the Djiboutian Government.  The National Office for 
Refugees and Displaced Persons (ONARS), continues to siphon 
food and supplies to security forces.  WFP logistics officer 
Robert Gillenwater has been threatened with PNG status for 
his refusal to allow ONARS to divert resources and fears that 
the Government may escalate obstructionist tactics, 
potentially including impeding food transshipment to 
Ethiopia.  End Summary. 
 
Aouraoussa 
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2. (C) In late July upon confirmation from the Djiboutian 
Interior Minister that the asylum determination committee 
would reconvene and begin assigning status to claimants UNHCR 
agreed to recondition a transition center at Aouraoussa in 
the southern district of Ali Sabieh to process asylee claims. 
 On August 28 UNHCR and WFP received word from Djiboutian 
authorities that all asylees must be moved to the transit 
center within 36 hours.  They convened a temporary processing 
center at a Djiboutian soccer stadium and were descended upon 
by an estimated 10-15,000 people.  A decision was made by 
Djiboutian authorities for security reasons to forward all 
processing to the Aouraoussa transit center.  The transit 
center was built for a capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 and was 
incapable of dealing with the mass population that camped 
around it.  Initial estimates taken from head of households 
put the number of people at the camp at 12-15,000.  Minister 
Wais addressed the people at the transit center and asked 
that only genuine asylum seekers remain.  UNHCR rep. Collins 
Asare believes that 1,500-2,000 individuals have departed the 
transit center for foreign soil.  WFP has been providing 
one-week emergency food rations to those who leave 
voluntarily.  As time has gone on these individuals begin to 
realize they will not be receiving first world immigrant 
status or massive food aid 
packages.  UNHCR estimates that there are 6-7,000 people 
still clinging to the center. 
 
DONOR MEETING 
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3. (C) Donors (France, EU, U.S., UN agencies) met September 
24 to discuss the ongoing situation at Aouraoussa transit 
center.  UNHCR rep. Collins Asare communicated a government 
request for transport assistance to help move more people 
from the transit center to foreign frontiers.  The Djiboutian 
government rented Somaliland trucks for the departure of 
several hundred individuals but complained they could not 
afford more.  Asare complained that UNHCR did not have any 
more resources to spare and that it was in the donor interest 
to move these people now as opposed to feeding them later. 
The U.S. response was that we had already received and denied 
a Minister of the Interior request for assistance in this 
vein.  The E.U. response was that the Djiboutian military had 
plenty of vehicles if they really wanted to transport people. 
 The French response was that the Djiboutian government had 
not approached them, 
the Djiboutian government had plenty of resources to 
accomplish the task, and at most they would consider helping 
with fuel costs. 
 
4. (C)  WFP logistics officer and acting head, Robert 
Gillenwater, stated that he continued to battle with ONARS on 
food distribution to the transit center and existing refugee 
camps.  Gillenwater said that he confirmed his suspicions 
that food stocks were being diverted to security forces.  He 
feels that the ongoing practice has been to divert the extra 
food from the inflated numbers at the existing camps to 
security forces and reports that Djiboutian military and 
police officials have confirmed his theory.  He reports that 
he has cut assistance to ONARS and his efforts to build their 
capacity.  The Interior Minister has threatened him with PNG 
status.  In a separate meeting with officials from the 
Presidency Gillenwater reports the President is considering 
closing ONARS and establishing another government agency to 
handle these issues.  Gillenwater recommends using Crescent 
Rouge and building there capacity.  When questioned as to why 
WFP did not seek private contractors their transport and 
delivery services Gillenwater replied that he feared if he 
pushed the Government too far they would close their port to 
Ethiopian food aid. 
 
EXISTING CAMPS 
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5. (C)  There have been ongoing debates about the actual 
number of refugees living in the two existing refugee camps 
at Ali Adde and Holl Holl. Officially, UNHCR statistics claim 
there are 21,000.  A 2002 repatriation goal of 12,000 people 
to Somaliland was set of which only 1,800 returned.  Thus far 
this year only 800 people have been repatriated.  The Asian 
Medical Doctors Association (AMDA), charged with providing 
medical treatment for camp residents, report that they treat 
between 4-6,000 refugees per month and consistently see the 
same people.  Numerous credible sources (including Conoff) 
have visited the camps and believe it possible that there are 
more than 10-12,000 refugees living in the existing camps. 
It is possible that many of the registered refugees return to 
the camps to collect their food stipends but live elsewhere. 
The community refugee representative at the Holl Holl camp is 
a sitting deputy in the Somaliland Parliament. 
 
COMMENT 
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6. (C)  It seems the Djiboutian Government is coming closer 
to realizing its objective of a third refugee "camp" in 
Aouraoussa.  There remain a significant number of individuals 
in the camp who are of dubious eligibility for asylum status 
but who have apparently been anointed asylum seekers by the 
Minister of the Interior.  It will take a strong stance from 
UNHCR and other UN agencies to counter this effort.  UNHCR 
Director Asare is, however, new and has been asked to carry 
out a wide range of tasks including clearing his office of 
corruption, jump starting a dead repatriation process, and 
now handling a significant new caseload.  Djiboutian 
authorities are pressing both the UNHCR and the WFP hard with 
a sometimes explicit threat of expulsion for those who do not 
cooperate. 
 
7. (C)  In fact, most of the food aid for Djibouti reaches 
its intended recipients, but that is due to the hard line set 
down by the WFP staff in Djibouti who will not accept 
misallocations.  Post intends to support the WFP position 
with the Djiboutian government.  While Gillenwater may be in 
some risk of expulsion, we feel it highly unlikely that the 
Djiboutian Government would risk its growing Port business 
and commercial goodwill with an action so rash and 
counterproductive as shutting off the flow of  Ethiopian food 
aid. 
SMITH