US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1588

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 DJIBOUTI 001588 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR CA/EX, AF/EX, AF/EX/DJ, OIG/ISP, M/FSI/SPAS, CA/VO, 
CA/FPP, CA/OCS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CMGT, CVIS, CASC, KFRD, ASIG, AFSI, DJ 
SUBJECT: CONSULAR NARRATIVE FY04 - DJIBOUTI 
 
1. (U) A) Please identify the following: 
Consular Section Chief name, ETD, direct office telephone 
number and e-mail: Andrea K. Lewis, ETD: October 2006 
Telephone: (253) 35-39-95 ext: 2203, e-mail: 
LewisAK@state.gov 
 
- Deputy Consular Section Chief name, ETD, direct office 
telephone number and e-mail: None. 
 
- Back-up Consular Officer name (if this is a one-officer 
consular section), direct office telephone number and e- 
mail: Primary Back-up Consular Officer: Tiffany Bartish, 
Telephone: (253) 35-39-95 ext: 2220, e-mail: 
BartishTM@state.gov. 
 
- Consular Section Fax number (please provide both IVG 
numbers and standard phone numbers including country and 
city codes). Fax: (253) 35-39-40, IVG telephone: 597-0000 
(There is no IVG Fax line.) 
 
B) Do you have sufficient staff to meet consular MPP 
objectives? (If you believe you do not, describe steps you 
have taken to maximize staff efficiency.  Note any special 
circumstances at your post that hinder productivity. 
Specify the number, type, and grade of personnel you would 
need in order to fully meet MPP objectives).  Add any 
comments you might have on the effectiveness of training of 
new personnel (such as Congen, FSI language training, etc.) 
 
- The demands of the Consular section require a full-time 
dedicated officer. However, the only assigned officer also 
holds a Pol/Mil portfolio, as well as additional reporting 
duties. 
 
- We have sufficient FSN staff, but our senior FSN is 
retiring this year and an FSN-7 replacement will have to be 
hired for IVs. The other two staff members are both new, and 
need significant training. One of the two left on maternity 
leave two months after she was hired (due to complications, 
the leave was significantly earlier than expected) and she 
has not yet returned. We are doing onsite training, but 
training has been unstructured and the knowledge transfer 
has been slow. 
 
C) Do you have sufficient space to meet consular MPP 
objectives?  (If you believe you do not, describe the nature 
of the space limitations.  Note steps post has taken to 
address these limitations, including development of design 
proposals, allocation of post funds, requests for OBO or CA 
funding, etc.) 
 
- The consular space is insufficient. The waiting room is 
designed to have individuals sitting less than two meters 
from the only interview window. Compounding this situation, 
is the lack of microphones; the net result is that clients 
in the waiting room necessarily overhear all conversations 
at the interview window. 
 
- The physical layout of the consular workspace is badly 
designed, resulting in no direct access or line of sight 
from the office to the rest of the section where the FSNs 
work, and where the files and the cash register are kept. A 
proposal with alternative floorplans has been submitted to 
CA for funding consideration under the Consular Improvement 
Initiative. 
 
- There is only one window in the consular section to handle 
all interviews, cashier transactions, AmCit services, as 
well as any routine inquiries. 
 
D) Describe any management practices (such as off-site fee 
collection, use of a user pays call center, courier 
passback, post hosted web appointment system, business 
programs) that post has instituted in the past year.  Are 
these management practices effective?  Also, please list any 
management practices that have been discontinued in the past 
year, citing reasons for their termination. 
- No new management practices have been initiated or 
discontinued in the past year. 
 
E) Please advise whether and why post might benefit from a 
Consular Management Assistance Team (CMAT) visit.  (By 
year's end, CMAT's will have visited since their inception 
nearly 60 posts.  If a CMAT visited your post over the past 
year, please summarize any benefits and what steps, if any, 
could be taken to further enhance the productivity of CMAT 
visits.) 
 
- A CMAT visit would be welcome. All the current FSNs as 
well as the Consular Chief of Section have less than six 
months consular experience. The five-month gap between the 
last Consular Officer and the current Officer was filled by 
a succession of WAE TDYers with no overlap. A CMAT team 
could assist in pointing out efficiencies in procedures or 
processes that might normally have passed on through 
institutional knowledge. 
 
Systems: 
F) Do you have the equipment you need to meet consular MPP 
objectives?  (If you believe you do not, describe the 
equipment you need and efforts you have made to obtain it.) 
 
- Current equipment is adequate to meet mission objectives. 
 
G) How would you rate your consular section's satisfaction 
with automated consular systems (excellent, good, average, 
poor)? Are there any unresolved software or hardware issues? 
How do you rate the training of post personnel both within 
the consular section and in Management/IM on the use and 
support of Consular systems (excellent, good, average, 
poor)?  What types of assistance would you need from the 
next training and refresher teams coming from the consular 
systems division to assist consular system users? Please 
also comment on the quality of assistance provided by the CA 
Overseas Help Desk. 
 
- Consular section satisfaction with the automated systems 
is good. A significant benefit can be derived from learning 
best ways to use it. The Consular Officer was surprised to 
receive an email advising that the section was not using the 
automated passport system. The Officer was unaware of post's 
capability. Training is rated as poor since staff members 
present at the time of installation claim they were unaware 
of the capability. After figuring out how to use it, its 
automated process is immensely appreciated. 
 
- Attempting to run reports or gather data from our 
automated systems for the Consular Workload Statistics 
System proved to be a frustrating exercise that yielded 
unreliable results. We returned to manually adding totals 
from a year's worth of receipts to estimate consular 
statistics. 
 
- Djibouti would appreciate an automated systems training 
team to show us what systems are available, and how to use 
them effectively. A team from Washington came in June, but 
given the turnover in personnel we have requested an 
additional Orkand training visit, tentatively scheduled for 
February 5, 2005. 
 
H) Some posts have recently begun scanning 2-D barcodes to 
input DS-156 information into consular systems.  Please 
comment on other forms you would like to see automated and 
explain why. 
 
- Any systems that could reduce or better track paperwork 
involved in Visas 92s and 93s would reduce section's 
workload tremendously. 
 
ACS: 
 
I) What aspects of your ACS work are the most demanding? 
 
- Determining legitimate claims to citizenship - this often 
has to happen before assistance with other citizen issues 
can be rendered. 
 
- Passport applications are not challenging, but are the 
most time consuming part of our ACS work. 
 
- American military personnel from the local-based military 
camp take "field trips" to the embassy to request routine 
ACS activities that could be handled by phone or by mail, or 
to inquire about issues not handled by Embassy Djibouti's 
Consular section (such as Djiboutian visas). 
 
J) Describe the impact that added responsibilities for 
provision of victims assistance as well as reporting 
requirements (for example, in death cases and for serious 
crimes) have had on your workload. 
 
- The section has had very few cases of victims' assistance. 
Those few cases have often focus on determining a valid 
claim to U.S. citizenship. Reporting our first death case 
became difficult, and continues as an open file six months 
after the death. The death was a U.S. citizen military 
contractor (not subject to the local SOFA) and the death and 
repatriation of remains were handled by the military and 
only reported to post after the fact. The case remains open 
because the military has not yet released all the details. 
 
Visas: 
 
K) What aspects of your NIV work are the most demanding? 
 
- Socio-economic status is not necessarily a good indicator 
of likelihood of an applicant to return. 
 
- A recent surge in third country nationals from Eastern 
Europe employed by the U.S. military contracting firm 
Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) has increased our NIV demand. 
 
L) Describe the impact that post-9/11 changes in NIV 
processing, such as special processing requirements, SEVIS, 
etc. have had on your workflow, including the amount of time 
it takes to conduct an interview. 
 
- Following 9/11, requirements for name clearances from 
Washington increased the workload and the waiting time for 
visas. 
 
M) Please comment on the impact that the fingerprinting 
requirement has had on consular space, processing time, and 
relations with your host country. 
- No discernable impact. A single fingerprint scanner was 
installed at the only interview window, and takes up no 
significant space. Fingerprinting appears to be accepted as 
a matter of course. The only pushback has been from lower- 
level government functionaries who remain subject to the 
fingerprinting requirement. 
 
N) What aspects of your IV work are the most demanding? 
(Discussion should address any backlogs and their causes). 
 
- Visas 92 and 93 are our most time consuming cases. The 
majority of these cases are Somali. There is no backlog, but 
cases frequently take years to adjudicate due to a severe 
lack of documentation, difficulties contacting the 
applicants, and the wait for DNA test results. We also have 
a high fraud rate, exacerbated by fluid family structure and 
differing definitions of family relationships (children are 
frequently raised by relatives, and informally "adopted" 
children are regularly petitioned as IR-2s or F2s.) 
 
O) If applicable, please describe the impact of the DV 
program on your workload. 
 
- Section does not handle DV cases. Djiboutian DV winners 
apply to Addis Ababa. 
 
P) What percentage of your NIV and IV applicants are third 
country nationals (TCNs)? From what countries are they? Do 
they speak a different language than post's designated 
language?  If so, how do you communicate with them? 
 
- Approximately half our NIV applicants and 90% of our IV 
applicants (including 92s and 93s) are TCNs. The IVs are all 
Somali nationals who come to Djibouti because there is no 
U.S. mission in Somalia. They speak Somali, which is not a 
designated language at post (French) but is spoken by all 
consular FSNs, who translate for the Consular officer. 
 
- The NIV cases are more varied, including either local 
residents from Indian citizenship or employees for the U.S. 
military contracting firm Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR). The 
KBR employees mostly come from the former Yugoslavia 
(Croatia and Macedonia). They all speak English. 
 
Passport: 
 
Q) Discuss how your post has been affected by the Overseas 
Photodigitized Passports program (OPDP) deployed in 2003. 
Please note any major adjustments you have had to make to 
workflow or staffing.  Has the number of emergency passports 
issued at post decreased?  If so, by how much? 
 
- Post's first OPDP passport was just processed in November, 
2004. The process went very well, and results are 
satisfactory. This will likely reduce time spent on 
passports and increase AmCit satisfaction by improving the 
speed of return. A serious downturn in emergency passports 
is not anticipated, as emergency passports have not been 
issued in significant numbers. 
 
Fraud Prevention: 
 
R) Briefly summarize the types of fraud most frequently 
encountered at post and programs in place to combat that 
fraud, including use of investigation resources, tracking 
systems, electronic tools, liaison and information sharing. 
If post has conducted a validation study, what was learned 
from it?  Are you satisfied with the level of fraud 
prevention training for officers and FSNs?  If not, what do 
you believe you need to support your efforts in this area? 
Do you conduct in-house fraud training?  If so, who is the 
targeted audience and how often is it done? Do you conduct 
fraud training for non-Embassy consular contacts?  If so, 
who is the targeted audience and how often is it done?  Do 
local authorities effectively prosecute document vendors and 
smugglers? 
 
- While Djiboutian documents are usually genuine, fraud is 
rampant in Somali and Ethiopian documents. Somali passports 
are available for a low cost on the street, so passport 
waivers must be obtained for Somali nationals traveling to 
the U.S. Statements from two witnesses constitutes fact by 
Ethiopian law, so valid government certificates can be 
obtained to show any life event (e.g. birth, death, 
marriage) and cannot be taken at face value. 
 
- Family fraud is also common: DNA tests are routine to 
verify that "spouses" are not in fact siblings, and that 
children are biologically related to petitioning parents. 
 
- Djibouti has limited resources for fraud prevention and 
fraud detection training. The consular section lacks 
personnel dedicated to visa fraud investigations. 
 
- Djiboutian officials guard documents closely. The 
Government would likely deal seriously with a sudden 
appearance of fraudulent Djiboutian documents. (Not 
including refugee cards, but they have little value in the 
Consular section.) No attempt is made to curtail fraudulent 
Somali or Ethiopian documents. 
 
General: 
 
S) Describe country conditions that affect your ability to 
provide consular services (infrastructure, fraud, political 
setting, etc.). 
 
- Our refusal rates are lower than neighboring countries. 
French visas are easier to obtain than U.S. visas and have 
more employment appeal to the local francophone population. 
Most unqualified applicants apply to the French consulate 
instead of the U.S. Also, a significant number of would-be 
applicants "test the water" with a few questions about 
eligibility and then choose not to apply for a U.S. NIV. 
 
- The recent installation of the U.S. military camp has 
increased Embassy's workload significantly. While the 
military forces are covered by a SOFA, AmCit services have 
increased in the form of passport applications, voter 
services, and even adoption cases. The military camp has 
also dramatically increased the workload of non-AmCit 
services due to the large number of military contractors 
applying for U.S. NIVs. 
 
- Also, some of the contractors are bringing families to 
Djibouti. The recent worldwide attention on Djibouti as a 
key location in the Global War On Terrorism has increased 
U.S. Government personnel, attracted NGOs, and otherwise 
gained foreign (including U.S.) attention. According to 
Embassy wardens, three years ago only 50 AmCits were 
resident in Djibouti. Today there are more than 300 non- 
military citizens and more than 3,000 Americans total when 
DoD personnel are taken into account. 
 
T) Describe any other issue not raised in the preceding 
questions that you believe to be significant to the consular 
section's effectiveness in handling its responsibilities. 
 
- Post is in the process of initiating a validation study to 
assess NIV return rates. 
 
- The staffing gap in the consular section and rapid 
succession of TDYers filling that gap have been noted by 
both AmCits and Djiboutian government officials. Multiple 
individuals from both groups have expressed relief to learn 
that a permanent Consular officer is assigned for the next 
two years. 
 
- The Consular Section has only one officer who is also the 
Pol/Mil Officer as well as tasked with Somalia reporting, 
and refugee reporting. The consular position demands full- 
time attention, and should be delegated to a focused full- 
time officer. 
 
- The most recent OIG report was conducted during a time 
when a new TDYer had just arrived to fill the staffing gap 
and was unfamiliar with the needs of the section. The 
resulting OIG interview concluded that only 20 hours of 
officer time per week was required to manage the Consular 
section. Subsequent officers have found this estimate to be 
grossly inadequate. 
 
- The senior FSN is retiring at the end of 2004. One other 
experienced FSN left earlier this year. The two replacement 
hires have less than six months experience combined. We are 
evaluating the feasibility of bringing a TDY FSN from 
another similar post with experience in visas 92 and 93 for 
the purpose of training our FSNs.