Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LIBREVILLE174
2007-04-25 14:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Libreville
Cable title:
FRANCE CONDUCS ECCAS TRAINING IN GABON; ECCAS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHLC #0174/01 1151438 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 251438Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9674 INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 0392 RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0978 RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 0314 RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI PRIORITY 0088 RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 1377 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0657 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0341 RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA PRIORITY 0956 RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY 0427 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0883 RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PRIORITY 0794 RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000174
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
KINSHASA ALSO FOR BRAZZAVILLE
ADDIS FOR USAU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MCAP GB CF CG BY CT RW
CM, FR, KPKO
SUBJECT: FRANCE CONDUCS ECCAS TRAINING IN GABON; ECCAS
REQUESTS ACOTA RAINING
REF: A. 2006 YAOUNDE 0519
B. 200 YAOUNDE 01885
Classified By: Ambassador Barrie alkley for reasons 1.4 b and d
C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000174
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
KINSHASA ALSO FOR BRAZZAVILLE
ADDIS FOR USAU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MCAP GB CF CG BY CT RW
CM, FR, KPKO
SUBJECT: FRANCE CONDUCS ECCAS TRAINING IN GABON; ECCAS
REQUESTS ACOTA RAINING
REF: A. 2006 YAOUNDE 0519
B. 200 YAOUNDE 01885
Classified By: Ambassador Barrie alkley for reasons 1.4 b and d
1.(U) This messae contains an action request in para 6.
2. (U) he first military training under the auspices of te
Economic Community of Central African States (CCAS in
English, CEEAC in French) has just conclued in Gabon. This
initial training of ECCAS unis that will eventually be part
of the African Unon standby force for Central Africa (FOMAC)
was onducted by elements of the French 6eme BIMA (the
800-man French battalion based in Libreville). The two-week
program (for 35 commandos from Gabon, Cngo-Brazzaville,
Burundi and Cameroon) involved perating and surviving in a
deep-forest environmnt. The next BIMA training session for
CEEAC wil take place in August (with troops from Chad, the
Central African Republic, Angola and Rwanda).
3. (U) According to General Guy Pierre Garcia, the military
chief of staff for the standby brigade (whose HQ are in
Libreville),ECCAS currently has pledges from member
countries for 63% of FOMAC's personnel and materiel needs.
These pledges include:
-- 3 infantry battalions (1 from Angola, 1 from DRC and a
mixed battalion with units from Burundi, CAR, Equatorial
Guinea and Gabon;
-- 1 armored battalion from Cameroon;
-- 1 battalion support unit from Congo-B;
-- 110 military observers;
-- 2 squads of "gendarmerie mobile" (Gabon, Congo-B,
Cameroon);
-- 55 civilian police officers (Gabon, Congo-B, Cameroon);
-- 2 Ilyushin 76 aircraft from Angola;
-- 3 C-130s (Gabon, Cameroon, Chad);
-- 1 Boeing troop transport plane from DRC ("not yet
available");
-- 3 ground support helicopters (Angola).
4. (U) General Garcia believes that the ECCAS countries have
the will, but not the means, to make the regional brigade a
real force (the AU mandate calls for it to be fully
operational by 2010). The critical needs are in the areas of
interoperability, training and logistical support when
deployment occurs.
5. (C) ECCAS believes the latest training being offered by
the French BIMA in Libreville to be "a step in the right
direction." General Garcia says that past RECAMP exercises
with the French have been useful, but have not been tailored
directly to ECCAS/FOMAC needs. In a meeting with the
Ambassador, Garcia said that ECCAS believes American
assistance can be better tailored to ECCAS needs and
requested ACOTA training for HQ staff and field units. If
ACOTA responds positively, General Garcia said that ECCAS is
ready to draw up a two-year training plan with ACOTA
personnel.
6. (U) General Garcia said that the ECCAS brigade is in
urgent need of communications support similar to the package
that the US provided ECOWAS (so that member capitals can
communicate with the brigade HQ in Libreville and with each
other). ECCAS also seeks US support to establish and stock
four humanitarian depots in the field (to include tents,
blankets, cooking pots, etc, not food).
7. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Reftels are joint action requests
from Embassies Yaounde, Libreville, Ndjamena, Brazzaville,
Malabo, and Bangui recommending US support for the ECCAS
standby force. Given the latest request made directly by
General Garcia, Libreville asks that ACOTA (perhaps in
conjunction with EUCOM) send a team to Libreville to meet
with ECCAS to determine precisely what assistance might be
appropriate and possible.
8. (C) COMMENT: The recent BIMA training of the ECCAS brigade
was a modest but important step. It involved only 35
commandos, but it was significant symbolically in signaling
the start of this regional military cooperation effort. It
also indicated a French desire to have some part at least in
the ECCAS brigade's future. FYI: There is a French liaison
officer stationed at ECCAS HQ. Jean Marc Simon (the French
ambassador in Libreville, who has been in residence for
almost four years) recently requested accreditation to ECCAS
and last month presented his credentials (becoming apparently
the only ambassador in town to take this unusual step and be
also accredited to ECCAS). The European Union has provided 4
million euros over three years to help develop ECCAS capacity
to protect peace and security in the region.
WALKLEY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
KINSHASA ALSO FOR BRAZZAVILLE
ADDIS FOR USAU
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MCAP GB CF CG BY CT RW
CM, FR, KPKO
SUBJECT: FRANCE CONDUCS ECCAS TRAINING IN GABON; ECCAS
REQUESTS ACOTA RAINING
REF: A. 2006 YAOUNDE 0519
B. 200 YAOUNDE 01885
Classified By: Ambassador Barrie alkley for reasons 1.4 b and d
1.(U) This messae contains an action request in para 6.
2. (U) he first military training under the auspices of te
Economic Community of Central African States (CCAS in
English, CEEAC in French) has just conclued in Gabon. This
initial training of ECCAS unis that will eventually be part
of the African Unon standby force for Central Africa (FOMAC)
was onducted by elements of the French 6eme BIMA (the
800-man French battalion based in Libreville). The two-week
program (for 35 commandos from Gabon, Cngo-Brazzaville,
Burundi and Cameroon) involved perating and surviving in a
deep-forest environmnt. The next BIMA training session for
CEEAC wil take place in August (with troops from Chad, the
Central African Republic, Angola and Rwanda).
3. (U) According to General Guy Pierre Garcia, the military
chief of staff for the standby brigade (whose HQ are in
Libreville),ECCAS currently has pledges from member
countries for 63% of FOMAC's personnel and materiel needs.
These pledges include:
-- 3 infantry battalions (1 from Angola, 1 from DRC and a
mixed battalion with units from Burundi, CAR, Equatorial
Guinea and Gabon;
-- 1 armored battalion from Cameroon;
-- 1 battalion support unit from Congo-B;
-- 110 military observers;
-- 2 squads of "gendarmerie mobile" (Gabon, Congo-B,
Cameroon);
-- 55 civilian police officers (Gabon, Congo-B, Cameroon);
-- 2 Ilyushin 76 aircraft from Angola;
-- 3 C-130s (Gabon, Cameroon, Chad);
-- 1 Boeing troop transport plane from DRC ("not yet
available");
-- 3 ground support helicopters (Angola).
4. (U) General Garcia believes that the ECCAS countries have
the will, but not the means, to make the regional brigade a
real force (the AU mandate calls for it to be fully
operational by 2010). The critical needs are in the areas of
interoperability, training and logistical support when
deployment occurs.
5. (C) ECCAS believes the latest training being offered by
the French BIMA in Libreville to be "a step in the right
direction." General Garcia says that past RECAMP exercises
with the French have been useful, but have not been tailored
directly to ECCAS/FOMAC needs. In a meeting with the
Ambassador, Garcia said that ECCAS believes American
assistance can be better tailored to ECCAS needs and
requested ACOTA training for HQ staff and field units. If
ACOTA responds positively, General Garcia said that ECCAS is
ready to draw up a two-year training plan with ACOTA
personnel.
6. (U) General Garcia said that the ECCAS brigade is in
urgent need of communications support similar to the package
that the US provided ECOWAS (so that member capitals can
communicate with the brigade HQ in Libreville and with each
other). ECCAS also seeks US support to establish and stock
four humanitarian depots in the field (to include tents,
blankets, cooking pots, etc, not food).
7. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Reftels are joint action requests
from Embassies Yaounde, Libreville, Ndjamena, Brazzaville,
Malabo, and Bangui recommending US support for the ECCAS
standby force. Given the latest request made directly by
General Garcia, Libreville asks that ACOTA (perhaps in
conjunction with EUCOM) send a team to Libreville to meet
with ECCAS to determine precisely what assistance might be
appropriate and possible.
8. (C) COMMENT: The recent BIMA training of the ECCAS brigade
was a modest but important step. It involved only 35
commandos, but it was significant symbolically in signaling
the start of this regional military cooperation effort. It
also indicated a French desire to have some part at least in
the ECCAS brigade's future. FYI: There is a French liaison
officer stationed at ECCAS HQ. Jean Marc Simon (the French
ambassador in Libreville, who has been in residence for
almost four years) recently requested accreditation to ECCAS
and last month presented his credentials (becoming apparently
the only ambassador in town to take this unusual step and be
also accredited to ECCAS). The European Union has provided 4
million euros over three years to help develop ECCAS capacity
to protect peace and security in the region.
WALKLEY