CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: UPDATE ON UN SUPPORT FOR AMIS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000158

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/SPG AND AF/RSA

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV MOPS PREL AU SU UN
SUBJECT: CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: UPDATE ON UN SUPPORT FOR AMIS



1. (SBU) Summary: 37 out of 105 military staff, 29 out of 33
civilian police, and four out of 48 civilian staff have deployed to
El Fasher and Khartoum as part of the UN light assistance package to
the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). UN officers hope to have
the entire contingent in place by the end of February, but point to
challenges in civilian recruitment and a shortage in commitments
from troop contributing countries. The construction of facilities
for the light package has been uneven, though this has not impeded
the inflow of personnel. Major hurdles in implementing the light
package and laying the groundwork for implementation of the heavy
support package include recruitment, land acquisition, facility
construction, and staff integration -- all in the midst of a dicey
security situation. The senior UN officer charged with light
package implementation has instructed his staff to work as
"termites" to supplant the dysfunctional AMIS structure with
something more effective. He estimates this process will take 6 -
12 months, but is contingent on the UN mission being
internationalized and not merely being an African force in blue
berets. End summary.

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PERSONNEL STATUS
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2. (SBU) Poloffs met January 30-31 with UN and AMIS officials
responsible for light package integration, Pacific Architects &
Engineers (PAE) managers, incoming UN civilian police, and light
package military officers who have arrived in recent weeks. As of
January 30, 37 military officers (out of 105),25 civilian police
(out of 33),and four civilian staff (out of 48) have arrived as
part of the UN light support package, according to Miguel Martin,
chief of the coordination cell for the mission support division of
the UN. An additional 12 military and four civilian police are
awaiting deployment from Khartoum. Martin hopes the remainder of
the personnel will be in place by the end of February. He noted,
however, that civilian recruitment is lagging due to security
concerns, living conditions, and new UN personnel rules. Martin
added that the lack of clarity on the joint administrative structure
of the UN and AMIS has deterred some applicants. He also said that
countries have been slow in fulfilling their commitments on the
military side.

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EQUIPMENT STATUS
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3. (SBU) According to Brig. Gen. John Musonda, chief of the Joint
Forward Headquarters, much of the light package equipment has been
turned over, including all the generators, half the night vision
goggles, and the equipment for the rapid reaction company. Some
items, such as the audio-visual equipment, are slated to arrive when
there are personnel on the ground to help use it. Martin said that
UN is pushing for training for the incoming equipment to ensure
accountability and proper use and maintenance. AMIS has so far been
receptive to these requests.

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FACILITY STATUS
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4. (SBU) Although camp construction for the light package has been
uneven, physical space issues have not impeded the inflow of
personnel. PAE is preparing three sites adjacent to the AMIS camp
for office space for light package personnel. According to Martin,
the sites will be finished within a month.


5. (SBU) As the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS)
declared another PAE-built site for incoming staff unusable for
security reasons, personnel are living in rented guesthouses around
the AMIS camp or UN guest houses downtown. Living quarters to
accommodate 110 personnel are planned, but North Darfur Wali Yousef
Kibbir rejected the proposed location, adjacent to the PAE
headquarters, and offered four less desirable sites. UNMIS also
plans new construction in each of the three other areas - Nyala, El
Geneina, and Zalingei - where some personnel are scheduled to be
deployed by the end of February, but logistical discussions are
ongoing.

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PREP FOR HEAVY PACKAGE
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6. (SBU) Despite the fact that the budget for the heavy support
package has not been approved by UN headquarters in New York, Martin
said that there is some planning in process for heavy support
implementation. Construction for the heavy support package could
begin in one to two months - with the initial priority on supporting
engineering units - but key elements of the package will not arrive
for at least three to four months.

KHARTOUM 00000158 002 OF 002



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INTEGRATION OF PERSONNEL
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7. (SBU) The question of how light support personnel are integrated
into the AMIS operation will prove more complicated than the
construction of facilities and the deployment of personnel and
equipment. UN Military Staff Chief Thinus Van Staden, the senior
light support officer overseeing the integration into AMIS, said
that the current staffing document calls for UN staff to be spread
throughout AMIS headquarters to enhance professionalism and bring
more skilled officers into the command structure. However, many UN
officers have been placed in positions below their grade or where
they are under-utilized. One European officer said a group of
Nigerian officers in AMIS feel threatened by the UN and so have
worked to keep them out of the core operational functions. Others
officers have said they feel redundant. According to a Canadian
officer, for example, "six people are doing the work of two" in the
air operations center.


8. (SBU) Van Staden suggested, however, that each officer is having
a different experience. "Some are being used 100 percent, some 50
percent, and some 5 percent," he said. His thinking on his own
position has evolved from a preference to serve as chief of staff to
remaining an advisor outside the formal staff structure, which will
better allow him and his successor to monitor and respond to how UN
personnel are begin used. Van Staden has told his officers to be
patient with the situation and to "subvert the system." He has
urged them to enhance efficiency by instituting proven managerial
mechanisms, such as standard operating procedures, in a
non-threatening way, "like termites," so the dysfunctional structure
will crumble and something better will emerge. He concedes,
however, that this is a long-term process, requiring between 6 -12
months, and that some departments will not be reformed until the
current AMIS section heads are transferred.


9. (SBU) Comment: A number of UN officers were assigned to the
Joint Operations Center (JOC),but in addition to good officers, the
JOC needs to be integrated into the AMIS force structure so that
information is collected and processed. One Norwegian Captain in
the JOC said he is a "virtual officer, in a virtual Joint Operations
Center." End comment.

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Pitfalls in Implementation
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10. (SBU) Van Staden outlined three pitfalls in implementing the
light and heavy support packages. First, the lack of European and
North American officers hinders effective operations. Van Staden
believes that if the mission continues to recruit heavily from
Africa, the incoming officers will flow into the current structure
without making substantive changes. Second, the structural divide
between the AMIS deputy head of mission and the force commander in
El Fasher is crippling operations, as the acting head of mission is
in Khartoum. Van Staden recommended an integrated
political-military chain of command. Absent this, some of the new
UN officers will only reinforce a stagnating operation. Third, the
two-tiered pay structure of AMIS and the UN will damage morale.
AMIS officers and soldiers receive a stipend of 90 dollars per day
regardless of where they are living. Though payment of this stipend
is often delayed, the UN only provides a stipend when the officers
are living outside of UN-operated facilities, normally for the first
few weeks or months of their tour.

POWERS