US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI795

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000795 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF, AF/E AND DS/IP/AF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, ELAB, ECON, EINV, CASC, ASEC, DJ 
SUBJECT: HIRING FOR DORALEH PORT AND FREE ZONE SPARK LOCAL 
PROTESTS 
 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Protests by residents of the Afar neighborhood of 
Arhiba blocked Rue d'Arta for several hours on 8 June 2004. 
The protests were sparked by information that led the 
residents to believe that the workforce hired by Dubai Ports 
International to construct and run the Doraleh Port Facility 
would be primarily expatriates and not Djiboutians. 
 
2. (C) Another factor that led to the protests was the fear 
of discrimination against Afars in the hiring process for the 
new port.  (Note: According to Econ FSN, Afars sense that 
national hiring practices have been discriminatory towards 
them and that a hiring quota similar to the allocation in 
place at the National Assembly should be extended to all 
sectors of government and the economy. End Note.)  Post's 
source at the Ministry of Justice indicates that Afar 
residents of Arhiba are demanding an agreement with the 
Government of Djibouti that all future hiring for the Doraleh 
Port Facility and the Djibouti Free Zone should guarantee a 
certain number of jobs to Afars. 
 
3. (C) The protests, largely street demonstrations, were 
broken up by the police, but only after negotiations. 
According to a police source, the units dispatched to the 
protests were instructed to make no arrests, use no violent 
force, and to negotiate a peaceful end.  These instructions 
are apparently the result of bad blood between the residents 
of Arhiba and the police, due to a particularly violent clash 
with Arhiba residents in the early nineties.  The police 
successfully negotiated an end to the protest on the terms 
that the residents would get the chance to meet with the 
Prime Minister and discuss their demand for a quota.  The 
same source said that the Arhiba residents will prepare a 
list of all Afar workers and their skill level, which will be 
given to the government.  The meeting with the Prime Minister 
is scheduled for the morning of 9 June.  Post will follow-up 
on the developments from this meeting. 
 
4. (C) COMMENT: Post cannot confirm whether the work force 
hired for Doraleh Port Facility will be majority expatriate 
or not.  A meeting with the Doraleh construction supervisor 
revealed that of the nearly 2,000 employees to be hired, only 
250-300 would be Djiboutian.  This number was based on their 
assessment on the level of skilled workers present in 
Djibouti.  However, in a meeting with Abdourahman Boreh, the 
main Djiboutian force behind the Doraleh project, Ambassador 
was told that there would be a majority of Djiboutians hired 
and only those skills not present in Djibouti would be 
brought in from Dubai. 
 
5. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: The lack of skilled workers in 
Djibouti's workforce is the key roadblock to most foreign 
investment.  Without a strong surge in Djibouti's 
entrepreneurial spirit and a push to provide vocational 
training to the population, the government will not be able 
to provide Djiboutians the volume of job opportunities they 
seek. 
 
6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: RSO and U.S. Military Force 
Protection officers have been closely monitoring this 
protest.  Presently, there are no indications that the U.S. 
Embassy and U.S. Military Base or any of its personnel are at 
risk.  Although tensions are high among protesters and some 
vandalism has occurred in the form of rock throwing and 
burning tires, the crowds have stayed within the area of 
protest.  Americans have been advised to avoid those areas in 
which the protesters gather until the demonstrations have 
subsided. END COMMENT. 
RAGSDALE