GENERAL AGWAI ON DARFUR, PERSONNEL CHANGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000916 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR MOPS KPKO NI SUBJECT: GENERAL AGWAI ON DARFUR, PERSONNEL CHANGES Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for reasons 1.4. (b & d). ¶1. (C) General Martin Luther Agwai met with the Ambassador and Defense Attach on May 11 to discuss his trip to the U.N. the week of May 14 and his next assignment as Force Commander for AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) and transition of this force to a U.N. peacekeeping force. Following his meetings at the U.N., he will return to Nigeria the week of May 21 -- in time for the May 29 inauguration of President-elect Yar'adua. A week later he plans to move to the Sudan. He expect to hand over his position to his successor immediately following the inauguration. General Agwai said he canceled a visit to Darfur last month due to problems with the payment of AU allowances. (COMMENT: This is likely the same issue as Somalia, where AU policy provides for payment after the fact and the Nigerian military has voiced concern over having to front large sums of money rather than being paid month-to-month. END COMMENT.) Gen. Agwai promised to provide the Ambassador a readout of his discussion in the U.N. upon his return. ¶2. (C) Gen. Agwai spoke highly of Deputy Commander of the U.S. European Command General William E. Ward, noting the good relationship Gen. Ward has with a broad range of African military commanders. Gen. Agwai said he would welcome Gen. Ward being given command of coordinating U.N. peacekeeping operations in Darfur. ¶3. (C) Gen. Agwai told the Ambassador and Defense Attach he expects to see a lot of movement in the senior ranks of the military following Yar'adua's inauguration. According to Agwai, all the senior officers in the Defense Headquarters are likely to leave upon Agwai's departure. He noted that the Service Chiefs who would likely replace him were initially junior to or peers of the current senior officers in the Headquarters staff and the staff would likely leave. (COMMENT: It is widely believed that Agwai's most likely successor is either current Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. O.A. Azazi or Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Paul Dike. END COMMENT.) CAMPBELL