NIGERIA: EXPANDED AU DARFUR PROTECTION FORCE

UNCLAS ABUJA 001382 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR PM/RSAT AND AF/RSA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MOPS SU NI DARFUR SUBJECT: NIGERIA: EXPANDED AU DARFUR PROTECTION FORCE POSSIBILITY REF: A. STATE 167023 ¶B. AF/SPG (SMITH) E-MAIL 8/10/04 ¶C. ABUJA 1380 ¶D. ABUJA 1347 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR PUBLICATION ON THE INTERNET OR INTRANET. ¶1. (SBU) As reported Refs C and D and in e-mails, Nigeria is providing both military observers and a unit for the military protection force, and (as AU chair) is heavily involved in talks with the Sudanese on expansion of the protection force. Post has been in constant contact with the GON on supporting the deployment until the Ref B e-mail asking us to hand off to the UK for supporting the Nigerian deployment, and we continue to work with both the British and the Nigerians to make that deployment a success. The Nigerians told us August 11 was that they have issued orders to stand up their military unit for deployment. The order covers the entire home unit of the soldiers who will be deployed, and for the purposes of Ref A does not determine how large the force deployed will actually be. The GON is still involved in AU discussions, and the force deployed could be larger depending on those discussions. ¶2. (SBU) The British said, however, that Nigeria's DOD informed them August 11 that it still did not know that the support for moving the Nigerian unit would come from the UK, not the U.S. This was despite the British High Commissioner's meeting with President Obasanjo to inform him of the UK's commitment. We believe it is just a problem of moving information from the Presidency down the chain of command, and we will continue to monitor this issue as well. CAMPBELL