Wikileaks – ¶4. (C) The latest in what has become regular bombings of the Djibouti-Ethiopia railway occurred in the late evening of March 12. The detonation took place in Djibouti city not far from where the railroad assess behind the French Military Hospital. The charge was placed on the track itself and detonated only three minutes after the passing of the train according to sources. USLO chief received reports that a piece of the steel rail landed near a convenience store several hundred meters from the detonation, implying a degree of professionalism in the placement of the charge. No one was injured in the blast. Captain Youssouf commented that since the Djiboutian authorities had taken extra precautions to protect the train itself from attack the “terrorists” were clearly now expanding their sabotage efforts to the rail. (Comment: Mission officers have not noted the “extra precautions” to which Youssouf refers. End Comment) He said that he was under significant pressure from above to respond to such incidents but was uncomfortable with the degree of training his deminers had to handle such ordinance. His sense was that the more “embarrassed” Djiboutian leadership became over their inability to solve the intelligence/investigative riddle these ongoing bombings posed, the more pressure he and his mid-tier colleagues would continue to feel. Hypotheses for motive range from disgruntled ethnic Oromos expelled in the Government’s latest immigration policy to
Ethiopian Government complicity to support their trucking industry. In any scenario, Mission security personnel do not feel this issue impacts directly on U.S. interests. BIO
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¶7. (C)
The saga of the Djibouti-Ethiopia railway continues in relatively benign fashion. The most significant disruptive impact of the bombings is the interruption of vegetable imports from Ethiopia which directly affects the average Djiboutian consumer. When the train is delayed or unable to transport vegetables the volume of vegetables arriving in the city decreases dramatically which drives up prices.
Interestingly, it also diverts the remaining volume of vegetables that arrive to truck traffic. Hence the rumors that truck owners may have an interest in disrupted rail service.
Oromo or Ethiopians you decide
