Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUJA638
2003-04-04 18:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

NIGERIA: ECOWAS EXEC SEC CHAMBAS SAYS REGIONAL

Tags:  PREL MOPS MASS PGOV IV NI 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000638 

SIPDIS


NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
CAIRO FOR MAXSTADT


E.O.12958: DECL: 04/3/08
TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS PGOV IV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ECOWAS EXEC SEC CHAMBAS SAYS REGIONAL
DEPLOYMENT NEEDS MONEY


Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter. Reason 1.5 (B) and (D).


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000638

SIPDIS


NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
CAIRO FOR MAXSTADT


E.O.12958: DECL: 04/3/08
TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS PGOV IV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ECOWAS EXEC SEC CHAMBAS SAYS REGIONAL
DEPLOYMENT NEEDS MONEY


Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter. Reason 1.5 (B) and (D).



1. (C) Summary: During a hurried April 3 dinner at the
Ambassador's residence, ECOWAS Executive Secretary Chambas
said he was accompanying President Obasanjo to Cote d'
Ivoire for the coalition government's Council of State
meeting April 4. Obasanjo hopes that his attendance, along
with Presidents Kufuor, Wade and Eyadema, would convince
the rebel leaders to attend. Chambas said an ECOWAS
Ministerial would be held next week in Abidjan to discuss
ECOMICI financing which would run out this month. He
expected that the Ministerial would task a smaller group to
visit donor countries to elicit financial support. Chambas
also stated that ECOWAS and Nigeria were seriously
considering the use of Nigeria soldiers to provide security
for the Ivoirien Government. End Summary.



2. (C) At an April 2 dinner with Ambassador Jeter, ECOWAS
Executive Secretary Mohammed Chambas said he was leaving
Abuja early the next morning to accompany President
Obasanjo to Yamoussoukro. Chambas explained that President
Obasanjo, Wade, Eyadema and Kufuor decided to go to Cote
d'Ivoire to end rebel reluctance to participate in the
National Reconciliation Government (NRG). Rebel leaders
had boycotted prior meetings; the Heads of State feared the
rebel absence, if continued, could fatally undermine the
NRG. The regional leaders thought their presence, by
reducing the rebel's security concerns, would encourage the
rebels to attend the session. When apprised that the
presidential quartet would be in Yamoussoukro, MPCI leader
Soro promised to attend. Chambas said that Soro and other
rebels leaders had great reverence and respect for the
elder statesmen in West Africa, and especially Obasanjo.
He thought the quartet's effort would help.



3. (C) Chambas stated he would remain in Cote d'Ivoire to
attend an ECOWAS Ministerial next week. He said Foreign
Ministers would meet April 7 or 8 with the priority agenda
item being ECOMICI funding. Without additional monies,
funds to sustain the deployment would dry up by the end of
April. The Ministers needed to discuss how to continue
funding the deployment. He claimed that states
participating in the force were very concerned about this
issue. Not only did they want the deployment to be
financed for the Ivoiriens' sake but they were also worried
about the effects in their capitals of soldiers returning
home unpaid and disgruntled.



4. (C) Chambas claimed that the costs for a six month
deployment of the current ECOMICI force was 26 million USD.
Compounding the financial woes, Chambas said the deployment
would last at least until 2003 elections and for a time
there after. Ideally, ECOWAS would like to enlarge the
force to approximately 3,400 soldiers, given the force's
expanded mandate under the Marscoussis Accord, including
border patrol, protection of NRG members, cease-fire
monitoring and possibly disarmament and demobilization.
All in all, ECOWAS has projected an overall budget of 160
million USD for deployment of the enlarged force until

2005.



5. (C) Chambas thought the Ministers would agree to send a
small team (Ghanaian, Nigerian, Senegalese and Ivorian
Foreign Ministers) to visit G-8 and other potential donor
capitals to seek financial support. A donor's conference
has also been mentioned.



6. (C) In response to Ambassador Jeter's question about
Nigerian participation in Cote d'Ivoire, Chambas replied
that the possibility of using Nigerian troops to provide
security to the Ivorien government was under serious
consideration. Everyone recognized that Nigeria could not
participate formally in ECOMICI due to domestic political
considerations. However, having Nigerian troops serve
independent of ECOMICI may be more palatable, he offered.
If this deployment were accepted, it eventually could pave
the way for a slow integration of Nigerian soldiers into
the regional deployment "through the back door." At the
very least, such a Nigerian presence would free ECOMICI
soldiers from this protective duty, allowing them to focus
on other aspects of their mandate.



7. (C) COMMENT: Although fully cognizant of the challenges
ahead, Chambas was somewhat sanguine about chances for slow
progress on the political front in Cote d'Ivoire. His
greatest concern was the continued funding of the regional
deployment. Everyone agrees that more troops are needed.
However, unless ECOWAS can find more money relatively
quickly, Chambas is worried that the contingents already
there might begin to consider folding their tents, and that
would be terrible blow to the pursuit of peace in Cote
d'Ivoire.


JETER