US embassy cable - 05NAIROBI3657

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 003657 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF 
STATE PASS AID 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2025 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ASEC, KPAO, SO, KE, Som Election 
SUBJECT: SOMALIA -- PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTIONS IN SELF-DECLARED INDEPENDENT SOMALILAND 
 
REF: NAIROBI 3575 
 
Classified By: MICHAEL J. FITZPATRICK, POLITICAL COUNSELOR, REASONS 1.4 
 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: Somaliland's National Electoral Commission 
(NEC), its political elite, civil society organizations, and 
public at large are finalizing preparations to elect an 
82-member Parliament on September 29.  Despite extraordinary 
organizational and logistical challenges, chances are very 
good that this election will be free, fair, and a decisive 
indicator of the voters' will.  The problem of the status of 
the disputed districts of Sool and Sanaag is still the 
greatest obstacle to a successful poll.  Nonetheless, there 
is a willingness to again finesse the question, and 
suggestions that neighboring Puntland will not interfere. 
(NOTE:  Reftel provided background on interrelations among 
"Somaliland," "Puntland" and "Somalia".)  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) Somalia Watcher and USAID/REDSO/ESA/LPC Officer 
traveled August 30-31 to Hargeisa, capital of the 
self-proclaimed independent Republic of Somaliland.  The trip 
was conducted in cooperation with the Somalia Democratization 
Steering Committee (DSC).  The DSC is composed of Denmark, 
the European Commission, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, 
and the UK, countries that are providing indirect financial 
assistance through NGO implementing partners for the 
September 29 Somaliland legislative elections.  The committee 
was set up to oversee and coordinate the operations of the 
Somali Democratization Program, implemented throughout 
Somalia through War-torn Societies Project International 
(WSP-International) and its affiliates in Somalia and 
Somaliland.  In the case of Somaliland's parliamentary 
election, the U.S. provides complementary support through the 
International Republican Institute, and so is an observer to 
the DSC. 
 
EXTRAORDINARY 
SECURITY PRECAUTIONS 
---------------------- 
 
3. (C) Recent specific and credible reports of possible 
terrorist activities in Somaliland directed at international 
interests have led Post to defer virtually all travel to 
Somaliland, and to refuse requests for country clearance for 
and/or facilitation of the travel of USG and Congressional 
employees.  However, given the critical stage at which 
election preparations have arrived, and the gap of nearly a 
year since Somalia Watcher's last visit to Hargeisa, Post 
took extraordinary security measures to mitigate risks and 
allow the trip to go forward.  These included 
 
-- Limiting the stay to one overnight. 
 
-- Requiring that two Diplomatic Security Special Agents from 
Nairobi RSO accompany Embassy and USAID to liaise with 
Somaliland National Police and provide necessary security 
support. 
 
-- Chartering direct air transport with no refueling from the 
UN Common Aviation Service (UNCAS). 
 
-- Ensuring that the UNCAS aircraft remains on the ground 
during visit. 
 
-- Obtaining round-the-clock escort and guard force services 
from the Somaliland National Police's Special Protection Unit 
(SPU). 
 
-- Restricting USG team's movements in Hargeisa. 
 
-- Maintaining separate ground transport from rest of DSC 
group. 
 
PACKED AGENDA 
-------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Embassy and USAID Offs joined the DSC in meetings 
with (a) the National Electoral Commission, (b) Ministry of 
Interior and National Police officials; (c) civil society 
groups; (d) the Women's Caucus of Parliamentary Candidates, 
and (e) all three political parties contesting the elections. 
 The visit ended with a DSC courtesy call on Somaliland 
President Riyale.  In addition, Somalia Watcher conducted 
"bilateral" meetings with the Somaliland Minister of Finance 
(septel) and Minister of Interior, the later joined by the 
Deputy Director General for National Intelligence and 
Immigration (reftel).  USAID Off also conducted a round-table 
discussion on Somaliland's fragility and resilience as a 
"fragile state" with key implementing partners, and met with 
the Minster of Education to discuss USAID programs. 
 
STATUS OF ELECTION PREPARATIONS 
-------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) The NEC gave a full briefing to the DSC members on 
tasks accomplished so far in election preparations.  Voter 
education programs were underway in both urban and rural 
areas.  Regional- and District-level election officers (REOs 
and DEOs) were selected, as had a total of 982 locations for 
polling stations.  Staff training had begun with training of 
trainers (TOT) sessions conducted with individuals recruited 
from the three universities in Somaliland, as well as from a 
local NGO.  These trainers had then been dispatched to train 
REOs and DEOs in two training cycles conducted in the towns 
of Hargeisa, Burao, Boroma and Erigavo.  Next, the trainers 
and REO/DEOs teamed up to train parliamentary candidates, 
mayors, and other government officials on the conduct of the 
election.  Future training was planned for the week of 
September 10 for logistics workers, polling station staff 
(recruited among students at the national universities, high 
school students in grades 11 and 12, former polling station 
staff with clean records from prior elections, teachers, and 
the "educated unemployed"), political party polling station 
agents, local observers, and police.  In all, over 10,000 
individuals would receive some level of training in the 
conduct of the poll. 
 
6.  (SBU) Other major hurdles that had been cleared as of 
end-August included the submission of party candidate lists, 
which the NEC then screened for qualifications under the 
electoral law, disqualifying roughly a dozen of the more than 
240 candidates.  The NEC stated that the complete candidate 
list is now available on the Commission's website at 
www.somalilandelectoralcommission.org.  Non-sensitive 
election materials such as the 1,500 ballot bags, and bag 
seals, had been purchased or ordered.  Sensitive materials, 
including the 1.3 million ballot papers themselves, and 
12,000 sample papers were scheduled for delivery from the UK 
printers September 12.  Voter marking ink -- a fluorescent 
variety used with success in South Africa, along with the 
lamps and extra batteries and bulbs -- would be delivered a 
week before the election. 
 
7. (SBU) The NEC identified a number of challenges still 
before them in preparing for this historic event.  These 
included the completion of the rural voters education 
program, hampered by the nomadic electorate's lack of fixed 
addresses and high level of illiteracy, as well as the poor 
communication and transportation infrastructure.  The NEC was 
facing down relentless pressure from all parties to add to 
the number of polling stations, under the presumption that 
more stations produced more votes.  The challenges 
confronting election logistics sometimes seemed biblical in 
scale -- incredibly difficult terrain, requiring days of 
driving by 4 X 4 vehicle to reach remote polling stations; 
the total lack of communication infrastructure in some areas; 
thousands of individuals to train; and the constant threat 
that rain would bring the whole process to a slippery halt. 
 
VERY ENCOURAGING 
----------------- 
 
8. (SBU) The DSC came away from the two days of meetings with 
the feeling overall that this election would go ahead, no 
matter the challenges.  The Delegation of the European 
Commission in Nairobi, chair of the DSC, issued a press 
statement after the visit, noting that "Considerable progress 
had been made in the preparations for the elections ... The 
Steering Committee warmly commends the dedication of the NEC 
and its partners, not least the energetic efforts of civil 
society groups ... to promote democracy ... The Steering 
committee is also much encouraged by the commitment expressed 
by all three political parties to holding peaceful, fair and 
free elections in line with the Code of Conduct concluded on 
18 July." 
 
COMMENT 
-------- 
 
9. (C) The feeling that this election has a very good chance 
of a successful conclusion is palpable in Hargeisa.  When the 
subject of the lack of a coherent security plan for the 
two-week period on either side of the election date came up, 
the Somalilanders' reaction was simple: "This election is 
ours, and we will all be responsible for policing and 
security -- it's how we did it before."  That said, from the 
point of view of potential international observers, this 
question was raised several times with the Commissioner of 
Police and Minister of Interior, who were lamentably short of 
answers, other than to say that a plan would be in place in 
time.  We believe that, as is often the case, Somaliland 
during this election will be extraordinarily safe for 
Somalilanders -- but might be a bit dicey for internationals. 
 This might actually be to the benefit of confirming a free 
and fair result -- there will likely be fewer international 
observers to be protected, leaving the job of election 
monitoring to a small cadre of highly qualified professional 
observers, joined by a team of Nairobi-based Somalia watchers 
to do the job with less hindrance.  END COMMENT 
BELLAMY