NIGERIA: FORCE STRUCTURE AND DEPLOYMENT PLAN FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003077 SIPDIS PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER: PLEASE PASS TO PDAS BELLAMY E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2012 TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS KPKO NI IV SUBJECT: NIGERIA: FORCE STRUCTURE AND DEPLOYMENT PLAN FOR ECOWAS MONITORING FORCE IN NIGERIA REF: A. STATE 219555 ¶B. ABUJA 3066 ¶C. ABUJA 3067 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: ECOWAS has determined its force structure and adopted an ambitious French deployment plan for its monitoring force in Cote d'Ivoire. The deployment plan envisions the arrival of advance elements in Cote d'Ivoire by Friday, November 15 and calls for the monitoring force to be in place by the end of November. However, as of November 12, ECOWAS had not yet selected a force commander and the commitment of fewer-than-expected troops from Senegal and Ghana casts doubt on whether the planned force strength and structure are realistic. Refs. B and C contain more detailed logistical information. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) According to the latest planing at the ECOWAS Secretariat the proposed monitoring force for Cote d'Ivoire SIPDIS will consist of 1264 personnel. The bulk of the force will be six infantry combat teams of 173 personnel, one team each from Benin, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, and Togo and the sixth a composite Niger/Togo force. The combat units will be supported by a 36-man Senegalese logistics group to be based in Abidjan and a 75-man logistics group from Niger based in Yamoussoukro. Command will be provided by the multinational staff and a 49-man headquarters company from Ghana. ¶3. (C) The proposed deployment schedule is as follows: - November 15: Initial planning group deploys to Abidjan to work out a plan to relieve French units on the ground and to develop the reception, staging, onward movement and integration (RSOI) plan. France will supply logistical support to the effort. - Staff officers from contributing countries will also travel to Abidjan with detailed lists of their deployment requirements. The original plan called for contributing countries to vet the lists with ECOWAS in Abuja on November 12. ODC Abuja and a French staff officer were to compare the list with the inventory of equipment in the Freetown and Dakar depots to determine what could be supplied by the USG and the GOF. - November 20: Selected equipment from U.S. and French depots will arrive in Abidjan. - November 21: Equipment operators arrive in Abidjan for two days of training. - November 24: Troop contingents begin to arrive, gather equipment and deploy to field locations. 4: (C) This swift deployment plan is overly ambitious. Moreover, no one has been tasked to develop a plan detailing how and when the teams will actually deploy on the ground. Additionally, the rules of engagement for the mission have not been developed. The French may assist the advance team in Abidjan in developing the deployment plan (Ref. C). 5: (C) ECOWAS has not selected a force commander. ECOWAS Deputy Executive Secretary Diarra told DATT the decision was largely a political one and that he would discuss the subject with Executive Secretary Chambas when the latter returned to Lome. While Diarra said he hoped to have a decision by November 10, that date passed without yielding an answer. Diarra believed Togo would be the likely choice for force commander (Ref. B),by default. 6: (C) COMMENT: The monitoring force is a work in progress. We expect that the force composition and structure may change as ECOWAS hits inevitable logistical snags in assembling, equipping, and deploying the troops. Further requests for USG assistance are likely. END COMMENT. JETER JETER