US embassy cable - 02ABUJA2428

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002428 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2012 
TAGS: MOPS, PREL, NI, NG 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA ASSURES NIGER ON MUTINEERS 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER FOR REASONS 1.5 (B & 
D). 
 
 
 1.  (U)  Responding to a request from the Niger Republic, 
Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sule Lamido promised 
that Nigeria would apprehend the approximately 100 Nigerien 
mutineers and return them to Niamey.  Lamido, however, 
lamented the difficulty of identifying Nigerien soldiers 
among the residents of the border region.  "If they remove 
their uniforms, it is easy to melt into the crowd," he 
commented. 
 
 
2.  (C)  According to press reports, Yobe State has 
mobilized extra patrols on its border with Niger at Nguru, 
Karasuwa and Geidam, the areas of the state nearest the 
recent Nigerien revolt at Diffa.  Some Embassy contacts 
speculate that the mutineers might try to cross the border 
in the tri-state region near Lake Chad in Borno state 
rather than near Yobe.  One commented, "The (Lake Chad) 
region has been the home to many dissident factions from 
Chad over the years and Nigerian control of its territory 
in that area remains weak." 
 
 
3.  (C)  COMMENT:  The Nigerian police and military face 
many pressing tasks and the GON has no wish to harbor the 
rebels.   However, barring a chance encounter along the 
remote border between the two countries, Nigeria's security 
forces are unlikely to launch a sustained operation to 
identify and apprehend the Nigeriens.  Moreover, in a brief 
encounter with Ambassador Jeter, the Nigerien DATT said 
that Niamey now thinks that most of the rebels fled to Chad 
and not Nigeria. 
JETER