CHAD SEEKS HELP TO PAY FOR DARFUR MEDIATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 000370

SIPDIS


STATE PASS USAID FOR COMPTROLLER
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM PREL CD SU
SUBJECT: CHAD SEEKS HELP TO PAY FOR DARFUR MEDIATION


Classified By: Ambassador Marc M. Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Chad needs help to defray the expenses of
its mediation effort on Darfur and is asking for U.S.
assistance, according to President Deby's top foreign affairs
and military advisors. In the meeting they requested with
the Ambassador March 7, the two leaders of Chad's mediation
team claimed Chad cannot afford to host meetings of the Joint
Commission on the Darfur Humanitarian Ceasefire or support
the visit of a verification team to Darfur. From our
perspective, the African Union (AU),the Joint Commission's
co-chair, could help ease some of the pressures by providing
more logistical support. End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador called on Special Advisor for
International Relations Alam-mi Ahmad and Special Advisor to
the Presidency General Mahamat Ali March 7 at their request
to hear an appeal for help in paying the bills for Chad's
mediation efforts on Darfur. As French Ambassador Bercot
waited in the reception room for his turn to receive the same
pitch, President Deby's advisors told the Ambassador that
Chad wants to serve the international community as well as
its own people in helping to mediate an end to the Darfur
conflict. But, they stressed, it simply does not have the
means to continue doing so.


3. (C) Alam-mi said Chad has been exhausted by the conflict
in Darfur. The mediation effort and additional security on
the border has cost Chad almost USD 20 million, he claimed.
Chad is paying exorbitant bills to house the rebel
delegations in N'Djamena. It is stuck with transportation
expenses. It has to shoulder the costs of meetings of the
Joint Ceasefire Commission. To underscore his point,
Alam-mi provided copies of communications with the Embassy
concerning the bill for the charter flight U.S.
representatives had promised to pay for carrying AU and rebel
movement representatives to the ceasefire negotiations last
March.


4. (C) Alam-mi and Ali said it is time to convene the next
meeting of the Joint Ceasefire Commission, but Chad does not
have the resources to host it. They had planned to send a
verification team to determine troop positions in Darfur
March 10, but Chad cannot afford that either. In conclusion,
they urged U.S. help to defray the cost of Chad's mediation
efforts.


5. (C) The Ambassador noted that the United States has
already committed over USD 80 million to the refugee relief
efforts in eastern Chad. He said the United States is
looking at proposals to expand support for Chadian
populations directly affected by the refugee influx. He
pointed to U.S. support for the AU's monitoring and
protection force in Darfur. He promised to convey their
request, but suggested that Washington might be more
receptive to assisting in reinforcing the AU's capacity in
this effort.


6. (C) In response, Alam-mi said he had discussed the
matter in Khartoum recently with AU Darfur envoy Sam Ibok.
He was not impressed with the AU's ability. Nor did he think
rebel representatives would agree to shift talks under the
auspices of the Joint Ceasefire Commission to Addis Ababa.
Alam-mi and Ali said the African Union is already supposed to
be providing assistance, but is not following through. Chad
is being dictated to by "little bureaucrats" at the AU,
Alam-mi observed.

7 (C) Comment: For a government as strapped for cash as
Chad's, it is not surprising that it is having a hard time
supporting diplomatic efforts on Darfur. The question not
raised in this discussion was what should be Chad's role as a
mediator, even if it has the financial means to do so. It is
too implicated in the conflict in Darfur to be trusted as an
honest broker by the belligerents. On the other hand,
motivated by those interests and in the absence of any other
competent regional party taking a day-to-day lead, it is at
least doing what it can. Chad is desperate for a settlement.
For the past year, Chadian officials have viewed the Joint
Ceasefire Commission as their key mechanism to push the peace
process. They are not likely to be willing to agree to a
change in venue if it means giving up the chairmanship. It
would ease some of the pressures on them if the AU was
shouldering more of the logistical burden (e.g., paying hotel
bills for the rebels, making transportation arrangements,
installing a representative in N'Djamena charged with these
tasks).


8. (C) We note again the unpaid bill for the charter flight
to carry AU officials and representatives from the rebel
movements to the talks in N'Djamena that resulted in the

Agreement on Humanitarian Ceasefire on the Conflict in Darfur
last April. Our delegation agreed to pay the bill, but we
have not done so. We understand it is now in the hands of
the USAID Comptroller. We are ready to provide any
additional information or documentation, but hope to resolve
the matter as soon as possible. End Comment.


9. (U) Khartoum Minimize Considered
WALL


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