CHINESE HAVE YET TO BEGIN NYALA SUPERCAMP CONSTRUCTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002058 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, AF SE WILLIAMSON ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: CHINESE HAVE YET TO BEGIN NYALA SUPERCAMP CONSTRUCTION REFERENCE: (A) KHARTOUM 1906 (B) KHARTOUM 1866 (C) KHARTOUM 1735 (D) KHARTOUM 2048 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Chinese Defense Attache told poloff December 24 that Chinese engineers have not started construction on the Nyala supercamp and are still waiting for AMIS escort of heavy construction equipment (Ref A) which arrived in Sudan November 10. Dong said he was comfortable with the progress on the SOFA and said he had been assured by UNAMID that AMIS/UNAMID force protection would be improved with the transition. He opined that the elimination of the MSA is good, and was unaware that starting January 1 many of the operations and maintenance duties now performed by PAE at AMIS camps would be the responsibility of UNAMID. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Chinese Defense Attache Colonel Dong Jian Dong told poloff on December 24 that as of December 23 the 140 Chinese engineers in Nyala have not started construction of the engineer's tent housing due to the delay of heavy construction equipment and therefore have not started construction of the Nyala supercamp. He said that half of the engineer's heavy equipment remains 120 kilometers from Nyala waiting for an AMIS protective convoy to escort it to Nyala. He said that he has asked AMIS to provide a reason for the delay but has not received a reply. Dong added that the rest of heavy equipment, which arrived in Khartoum on November 10, is still "enroute" to Nyala but he had no estimated date for its arrival. ¶3. (SBU) Dong said that without the heavy equipment the Chinese are unable to clear the ground to erect tents to house the 315 Chinese engineers. For the time being, Dong said the first tranche of Chinese engineers are housed at AMIS' Forward Operating Base (FOB). ¶4. (SBU) The Chinese estimate that it will take two to three weeks to construct the housing for the Chinese engineers once the heavy equipment arrives, but completion would be subject to arrival of additional supplies and materials from China. He said that these items left China roughly December 14 and should arrive in Port Sudan perhaps as early as January 3. However, Dong repeated earlier concerns that customs delays and transport problems from Port Sudan to Nyala will push this date back considerably, and hence will further delay construction of the supercamp. SOFA AND FORCE PROTECTION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Regarding the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) for UNAMID, Dong said he felt "comfortable" with the progress he had seen. He said that because Chinese soldiers had no contact with Sudanese, there is little need for a SOFA, and added that he had the assurances of the GOS that Chinese soldiers had the status of "diplomats." As for force protection of his engineers, he said that AMIS patrols regularly but "not aggressively." Dong said he visited Darfur on December 20 and that UNAMID Chief of Staff Patrick Davidson-Houston assured him that once the transition occurred, African troops under UNAMID command would increase their patrols. ¶6. (SBU) Regarding the recent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attack on Chinese-owned oil facilities in Kordofan, Dong said that this was not a JEM attack but the work of "bandits." He said that JEM had been associated with the attack only because JEM, for propaganda purposes, had claimed responsibility. He said that the SAF had captured most of the attackers who turned out to have historic but very old links to the JEM. STOPPING THE MSA -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Dong opined that UNAMID's plan to stop paying the Mission Subsistence Allowance (MSA) to rebel representatives is a good idea. He totally discounted the idea that the MSA payments increased security for AMIS troops and countered that enabling rebel representatives to have free access to AMIS camps reduced security. UNAMID TRANSITION -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Dong was unaware that beginning January 1 operations and maintenance (O&M) functions such as sewage treatment operations and electrical generator maintenance currently performed by PAE would be turned over to UNAMID, which intends to provide these services through local contracts. Asked if the Chinese engineers had any plans to assist in the transition of O&M, Dong said it was "unimaginable" for UNAMID to change support contractors at such a sensitive time. KHARTOUM 00002058 002 OF 002 ¶9. (SBU) Comment: The on-going delays in deploying the Chinese engineering unit track with other reports from El Fasher (Ref D). Lack of progress on the supercamp poses a problem for UNAMID, which will not be able to absorb additional troops until the camp is completed. The Chinese Embassy, whose primary concern is the security of their troops, does not appear particularly perturbed by the lengthy delays in deployment. POWERS