US embassy cable - 05ABUJA1556

UNCLAS ABUJA 001556 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS AF/EPS:MNORMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, EAID, SOCI, SMIG, XY, NI 
SUBJECT: NO SPILLOVER FROM NIGER IN NORTHEASTERN NIGERIA'S 
BORNO STATE 
 
REF:  STATE 151281 
1.  Abuja economic officer and two U.S. Army Office of 
Defense Cooperation humanitarian-assistance personnel 
visited Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in far 
northeastern Nigeria, on August 19 and 20, 2005.  Officers 
observed no evidence of Nigerien refugees in Maiduguri; in 
Borno's Baga town, near Lake Chad; or as far west as Borno's 
Kukawa town, where the road became impassable. 
 
2. The Borno State deputy governor unexpectedly canceled his 
August 19 meeting with embassy officers because of his 
scheduling difficulties.  However, at a meeting on August 
19, news-department officials at the Borno Radio Television 
(BRT) Corporation said they had no knowledge of Nigerien 
refugees crossing into Borno State.  BRT television news 
that evening also made no mention of Nigerien refugees 
crossing into Nigeria. 
 
3. On August 20, embassy officers met with Alhaji Mustapha 
Umar El-Kanemi, the shehu (roughly, "sultan") of Borno.  The 
shehu said grain prices in Maiduguri were continuing to 
rise, but he attributed this increase to general inflation 
and not to drought in Niger.  He also said he had no 
knowledge of Nigerien refugees in Borno State but cautioned 
that the situation possibly was worse along northwestern 
Nigeria's border with Niger. 
 
4. Embassy officers found no local newspapers that might 
have reported local leaders' reaction to the humanitarian 
crisis in West Africa. 
 
5.  Embassy officers found that large portions of Borno 
State were green and well watered, with heavy rain occurring 
on August 19.  Corn fields north and south of Maiduguri grew 
up to six feet tall, although stalks and ears of corn were 
thin. 
 
6. Embassy Abuja remains alert to AF's interest in the 
humanitarian crisis in West Africa. 
 
CAMPBELL