ECOWAS DEFENSE MEETING IN ACCRA: AGREEMENT ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001960

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC GH MARR MCAP MOPS PREF PREL MAS ECOWAS
SUBJECT: ECOWAS DEFENSE MEETING IN ACCRA: AGREEMENT ON
STANDBY FORCE


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (U) Summary: On September 29-30 the Chiefs of Defense
Staff of fourteen ECOWAS countries met in Accra for the tenth
Ordinary ECOWAS Defense and Security Commission meeting.
Participants pledged a total of 6,500 military personnel to
form an ECOWAS standby force. Participants discussed
developments in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Cote
d'Ivoire. The British government suggested ECOWAS send
military observers to Darfur. The Commission directed the
official to relay this request through the African Union.
End Summary.


2. (U) On September 29-30, ECOWAS held its tenth Ordinary
Defense and Security Commission Meeting in Accra.
Participants included the Chiefs of Defense Staff of Benin,
Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra
Leone and TOGO, as well as ECOWAS Deputy Executive Secretary
for Political Affairs, Defense and Security Maj. General C.O.
Ciarra, Force Commander of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire
(UNOCI) Maj. General Abdoulaye Fall, Force Commander of the
UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) Maj. General Sajjad
Akram, and the Deputy Force Commander of the UN Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) Maj. General Owonibi. Chaired by Ghanaian
Chief of Defense Staff Lt. General Seth Kofi Obeng, the
Commission discussed the situations in Liberia, Sierra Leone,
Guinea-Bissau and Cote d'Ivoire. They collectively pledged
6,500 military personnel to create an ECOWAS standby force,
with the following configuration:

BENIN

3 x Infantry Company
1 x Company Gendarmerie
1 x Armored Squadron

BURKINA FASO

1 x Infantry Company (150 men)
3 x Infantry Companies (1 x Infantry Battalion)
1 x Motorized Squadron
1 x Artillery Battery
1 x Company Gendarmerie (120 all ranks)

GAMBIA

1 x Infantry Company (Self-sustained)
2 x Sections Military Police
1 x Platoon (36 personnel)

GHANA

1 x Engineer Company
1 x Level II Hospital
1 x Helicopter squadron of 4 helicopters


GUINEA

1 x Infantry Battalion (2-3 combat teams)
1 x Support Logistics Group
1 x Armored Unit

GUINEA BISSAU

1 x Composite Battalion (650 personnel) ) Breakdown to be
given later.

MALI

1 x Infantry Company (150)
1 x Reconnaissance Squadron
1 x Engineer Unit (Company)
1 x Military Police Unit (Company)
1 x National Guard (150 men)

NIGER

2 x Infantry Companies
1 x Gendarmerie Platoon

NIGERIA

1 x Motorized Battalion
1 x Reconnaissance Company
1 x Engineer Squadron
1 x Signal Squadron
1 x Level II Hospital
1 x Fast Patrol Boat
1 x Landing Ship
1 x C-130 Hercules Transport Aircraft
1 x Artillery battery

SENEGAL

1 x Infantry battalion (of 500)
1 x Engineer Company (of 150)
1 x Medical level II Hospital
1 x Military Police/ Gendarmerie Company (of 100)
1 x Artillery Battery

SIERRA LEONE

1 x Infantry Company

TOGO

2 x Infantry Companies (To be confirmed)
Gendarmerie - Half Company (To be confirmed)


3. (U) Other Highlights from the draft meeting report
included:

-- The ECOWAS Secretariat would intensify efforts to secure
the remaining 267 million USD pledged by the international
community to bolster the Government of Liberia in its
reconstruction and development efforts.

-- The Secretariat would encourage the Government of Cote
d'Ivoire to "make the necessary reforms to give effect to the
provisions" of the Accra III Accord. The Secretariat also
would encourage the New Forces "to show flexibility and
goodwill in the requirement for disarmament as per the
Accord".

--The Commission commended UNOCI for its assurances on
contingency plans to handle any reversal of the current level
of security in Cote d'Ivoire. The ECOWAS Authority agreed to
engage UNHQ regarding the outstanding aviation unit required
by UNOCI.

--A good public relations plan was to be developed by UNOCI,
in conjunction with the Cote D'Ivoire Government and the New
Forces, to enhance confidence building in the AO.

--The ECOWAS Secretariat would take up the problems
encountered by Liberian refugees at the Cote d,Ivoire border
at Danane with the Heads of State and Government.

-- With regard to the DDRR program in Liberia, the projection
on the ex-combatants to be disarmed and reintegrated would be
based on a figure of 100,000.

--The ECOWAS Authority would be requested to employ its good
offices to resolve the leadership crisis within the LURD
faction in Liberia to avoid any conflicts that might derail
the peace process.

--The British Government proposed that ECOWAS send military
observers to Darfur, Sudan. The Commission asked the British
Government to route this request through the African Union.

--The ECOWAS authority would be requested to encourage the
Government of Sierra Leone to continue its efforts to
implement the DDRR program, schemes to resolve youth
unemployment, and actions aimed at resolving the dispute at
Yenga.

Comment
--------------


4. (SBU) Participants in the meeting saw this meeting as
particularly productive and cooperative. The attendance
level of Defense Chiefs was excellent. They agreed on
pledges for the standby force on the first day of the
meeting. In his closing remarks, General Obeng stressed the
need for ECOWAS to have a positive influence in seeking peace
in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d'Ivoire. Given the
goodwill expressed at this meeting, Obeng saw the possibility
of an "over-subscribed" standby-force. Funding and logistics
for this force will be taken up at the November 22-23 donors
conference in Abuja. The British official acknowledged to
poloff that it was appropriate for protocol reasons that the
request for forces to Darfur be routed via the AU. A
representative from Mali approached him privately about
contributing to a Darfur force. Dr. Charles Grimm, US
Advisor for Defense and Security Affairs to ECOWAS, told
Emboffs he was delighted with the outcome and atmospherics of
the meeting, although he thought it unlikely ECOWAS would
offer troops to Darfur, given the lack of available officer
staff in member countries. We will forward a copy of the
final meeting report to desk as soon as possible.



LANIER