LOOKING AHEAD ON THE U.S.- AFRICAN UNION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ADDIS ABABA 001359 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AF/E, D (T. SMITH),S/P, AF/EPS, S/CT AF/FO FOR AMB. RUTH DAVIS LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPKO EAID PGOV AU SUBJECT: LOOKING AHEAD ON THE U.S.- AFRICAN UNION RELATIONSHIP REF: A. 05 ADDIS ABABA 3844 ¶B. 04 ADDIS ABABA 3183 ¶C. 04 ADDIS ABABA 3185 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (SBU) Note from Charge Vicki Huddleston: This "think piece" on the African Union (AU) was drafted by political officer Cate McGeary whose brilliant coverage of the AU over the past two years has kept pace with the rapid changes in the institution and in our relations with it. Her voluminous, timely, and nuanced reporting greatly influenced the implementation of U.S. policy goals with the AU, particularly in support of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Kate will be replaced by an entire U.S. Mi++EoQQ-pficial emergence of the AU from the OAU in July 2002. Post has s~xbo|x. The AU looks to the USG for political support and dialogue. Regularizing policy planning talks with the AU and playing a lead role in new Addis-based AU coordination structures would enable us to achieve our shared goals with Africa. Building closer relationships with AU member state missions in Addis would also provide the USG with greater insight into AU decision-making processes and ensure U.S. views are considered. The AU Commission has shown great political will in pushing forward a member state-approved plan of action for achieving peace and security, governance, development, health, and other objectives shared by the USG. Bolstering AU initiatives and institutional capacity to achieve them, as well as helping the AU fine-tune its interventions, will help promote best practices on the continent and foster AU member state adherence to higher standards. These ideas for building a mutually productive relationship with the AU are expanded upon in a "Mini USAU MPP" developed by post for Department consideration (to be emailed to AF/RSA and AF/FO) ahead of the departure of our current AU Watcher. End summary. -------------- BRIEF OVERVIEW -------------- ¶3. (SBU) While the OAU was focused on ridding Africa of colonialism and had largely been discredited for its inaction in the face of member state abuses, the AU promotes African peace, security and stability as a prerequisite for its development and integration agenda. The 15-member AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) was launched in May 2004. AU engagement in Darfur through the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has been seen as a test of the new organization's political will, and of its ability to work with Western partners. The AU believes that its deployment to Darfur demonstrates an attitude of "non-indifference" to problems facing the continent, rather than the OAU's "non-interference." The AU is increasingly looked to by member states to coordinate positions in international fora and to increase African bargaining power in trade negotiations. It seeks to foster member state best practices in areas of good governance, health and development. (Note: There are 53 AU member states, including Western Sahara but not Morocco. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) AU ability to deliver in holding member states to higher standards and positively intervening to address crises on the continent continues to be constrained by its simultaneous efforts to transform the institution from an OAU-inherited structure. One-quarter of AU member states were sanctioned in 2006 for failing to pay assessed contributions, and many complain of AU Commission (AUC) lack of transparency. The AUC has begun a process of improving management, financial and administrative practices -- and ADDIS ABAB 00001359 002 OF 005 engages in dialogue with international partners to garner support for that effort. ¶5. (SBU) Over 35 non-African countries have been accredited to the AU since March 2005. Addis-based Ambassadors have recently decided to form a separate donor/partner coordination mechanism devoted to AU issues. While the EU is currently the AU's largest donor and political partner, the AU looks to the U.S. for political support and engagement on key issues such as continental peace and security, terrorism, health challenges, trade and UN reform. The U.S. will be the first non-African country to have a separate mission to the AU. -------------- -------------- DEVELOP THE INSTITUTION, CREATE A BETTER SECURITY PARTNER -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) is an ad-hoc arrangement heavily dependent on partner support as the AU lacks the institutional structures to run a comprehensive peace support operation. The African Standby Force (ASF) effort is critical to rendering the AU more capable of managing operations of various levels of complexity, whether to fill the gap before the UN is able to deploy or to retain longer-term responsibility for conflict management. ASF envisions the creation of five regional brigades by 2010. In conjunction with key partners, including the USG, the AUC is leading the effort to establish common logistics; standard operating procedures (SOPs); command, control, communications and information systems (C3IS); training and evaluation procedures and doctrine for African peacekeeping forces. ¶7. (SBU) The USG should continue to utilize the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) and other programs to play a lead role in C3IS support for the AU ASF effort, and work to expand NATO-AU relations into a longer-term training and capacity-building partnership. Ensuring the timely transition of AMIS to a UN operation, and that AMIS is enhanced to meet growing challenges in Darfur in the interim, will help maintain AU credibility. Paying heed to AMIS lessons-learned will go far in fostering a more capable AU intervention in the next crisis and before ASF is in place. Such lessons include making sure the AU mission has adequate logistics and command and control structures in place prior to significant deployment, and supporting headquarters financial and administrative structures able to meet the requirements of a field mission. ¶8. (SBU) Any effort to improve AU resolution of regional conflicts also requires support to improve central AU management, finance, procurement and administrative practices. Slow or substandard financial reporting, recruitment and payment of contractors, and lack of a procurement apparatus severely hamper AU capability in AMIS and beyond. The USG should play a lead role in mustering international partners to support AU institutional capacity-building, as well as in pressing the AU to implement NQ`