UNAMID DEPLOYMENT UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001810 DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, SPG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: UNAMID DEPLOYMENT UPDATE REF: A) KHARTOUM 1726 B) KHARTOUM 1694 C) KHARTOUM 1670 D) KHARTOUM 1522 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In discussions on December 14-15, UNAMID officials told poloff that the mission is still on target to meet its goal of 60 percent deployment by the end of December 2008. They also remain hopeful that 80 percent deployment is possible by March 2009, though it appears that this target is increasingly unrealistic. The flow of equipment within Sudan and Darfur continues to proceed smoothly. UNAMID officials are concerned that several TCCs have failed to provide load lists for their equipment. Deterioration of the runway at Nyala airport is an ongoing concern, but UNAMID plans to repair it. UNAMID officials reported that the GOS remains cooperative and has not posed any impediments to deployment. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On Dec 14-15 Poloff spoke with Colonel Noddy Stafford, Chief of Military Plans UNAMID, Lt Col Vincent Tissier, Staff Officer for Operational Plans, and Hugo Wyers, Formed Police Unit (FPU) Coordinator for Sector North, to discuss UNAMID deployment issues. ¶3. (SBU) Stafford told Poloff that UNAMID troop strength has reached 10,292, up from 9,815 last week. This represents approximately 53 percent of the envisioned number of "boots on the ground," and Stafford believes the 60 percent will "definitely be met" by year end. He also thought that the 80 percent deployment could be achieved by March, though significant obstacles remain. Wyers reported no change to the Formed Police Unit (FPU) strength of three units comprised of 420 staff. Including unarmed personnel, there are a total of 1,995 police personnel deployed. Thai Deployment and the Recent Bangkok Airport Shutdowns -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) UN officials have been working to combat communication problems between Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and UN DPKO--most notably the failure of TCCs to provide proper equipment load lists to the UN. With that in mind, Stafford and DPKO Liaison Lt Col Tim House met with Major General Jerdwud Kraprayoon, Director of Thailand's Peace Operations Center, and approximately 40 members of his staff December 8-9 to review deployment best practices. The Thai officials were "very receptive," asserting that they would work with UN NY to negotiate a date for pre-deployment between mid-Jan and mid-Feb, as well as an inspection date for UN officials to return and ensure all equipment meets UN standards. ¶5. (SBU) Stafford's visit to Thailand also coincided with the recent shutdown of Bangkok's airports due to political unrest, and he was part of the UN contingent evacuated from the country. He noted that evacuation procedures from Thailand were "very good," and provided him with new insights to apply to UNAMID contingency planning. Among the new considerations are what is needed for welfare facilities to feed and house evacuees; IT facilities and personnel to facilitate computer communications; international calling capability to assuage family members; and guidelines for liaising with embassies to track personnel movement. Nyala Runway Needs Repair -------------- ¶6. (SBU) A Nov 3 report from the United Nations stated that a portion of the Nyala airport runway is crumbling. This area has been repaired by the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) three times in the past year, but the problem persists. (Note: The damage to the runway occurred during the rainy season, making proper rehabilitation efforts difficult to implement. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that a drainage tunnel passes under the damaged portion, weakening the ground above. End Note.) The SCAA has given approval to complete the required repairs, and site engineers are currently assessing situation. Their tentative plan is to dig out the crumbling concrete, refill the runway with good gravel, compact the base, and pave over it with asphalt. The work is anticipated to take one full day, and the engineers will liaise with the airport manager for the most suitable runway closure times (possibly at night). COE Priorities for Equipment Movement -------------- ¶7. (SBU) UNAMID's current prioritization of contingent-owned equipment movement is as follows: 1) the Nigerian Level II Hospital; 2) Chinese and Egyptian Engineers; 3) Ethiopian and Egyptian Infantry Battalions; 4) the Nepalese FPU; and 5) the Pakistani Engineers and Level III Hospital, as well as the Bangladeshi Multi-role Logistics Unit. KHARTOUM 00001810 002 OF 003 Movement Status in Detail: -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Last week's Eid Al Adha holiday meant that most contractors were unavailable from December 8-12, and movement of equipment came to a virtual halt for several days. However, contractors have resumed work this week. Stafford reported no problems with cooperation from the GOS. The following is the current status of each unit deploying to Darfur. ¶9. (SBU) Nigerian Level II Hospital: Of the 96 items being shipped to El Geneina, four percent has arrived, while 79 percent is in transit. Seventeen percent remains in El Obeid, including five containers, 12 water tanks, and three watch towers. Batteries were replaced in the 15 vehicles sitting in Nyala and they will be moving shortly. ¶10. (SBU) Chinese Engineers: Of the 246 pieces of equipment being shipped to Nyala, 85 percent has reached the final destination, 12 percent is still in transit and three percent remains in El Obeid. The equipment awaiting transportation includes 4 trailers, a jeep and 2 dump trucks. The IL-76 cargo plane is expected to come on-line on December 16, and Stafford hopes the vehicles will be moved by air. ¶11. (SBU) Egyptian Engineers: All of the 323 pieces of equipment being shipped from El Obeid to El Fasher via Nyala have reached Nyala. No equipment is currently in transit and the movement completion date is estimated at December 25. The Egyptians are waiting for all of their equipment to be installed in El Fasher before they deploy their inspection and repair teams. The equipment in Nyala consists of 12 trucks, 3 generators and 15 break/bulk items. ¶12. (SBU) Ethiopian Infantry Battalion: Of the 158 pieces of advance party equipment being shipped to Kulbus, 100 percent is at the final destination. Of the 461 pieces of equipment needed to support the main body of the Ethiopian Infantry Battalion, as well as the Transportation Company and the Logistics Company, five percent has arrived in Kulbus with 79 percent in transit and 16 percent (78 vehicles including 9 APCs) still in El Obeid. One hundred containers and 282 vehicles have been delivered to Nyala or are currently en route by train. Two hundred fifty four vehicles are scheduled to be delivered to El Geneina and 91 to Kulbus by contracting company 'Agility' by December 20. Seventy eight vehicles are being prepared to be loaded at the El Obeid for transport by the next train on December 13. Nineteen APCs in El Obeid should also be loaded on the train December 13. UNAMID is having difficulty transporting portions of a sewage plant and will attempt to send the equipment by air to El Geneina and then by road to Kulbus. UNAMID suggested the Ethiopians build a pond as an interim solution. Spoiled food is another problem as two or four containers of the six inspected contained food that had gone bad. The food containers with non-spoiled food will be sent to El Geneina. ¶13. (SBU) Egyptian Battalion 1 Advanced Party: Of the 41 containers and two vehicles being sent to Um Kadada, most will have arrived by December 20. UNAMID is urging the Egyptians to move their own equipment using Egyptian resources (which they should be capable of as a self-sustaining TCC.) ¶14. (SBU) Egyptian Battalion Main Body: Of the 385 items being shipped to Um Kadada 99 percent is at the final destination with only three water plants remaining in El Obeid. The parts are scheduled to be delivered December 15 via MI-26 helicopter. ¶15. (SBU) Egyptian Battalion 2: All data for this battalion are not yet determined. The original plan was for the equipment to arrive in Nyala on December 22, but the shipment was cancelled by the Egyptians and has not yet been rescheduled. The unit will deploy to Ed Al Forsan in South Darfur. Two hundred additional personnel will arrive in Nyala on January 31. ¶16. (SBU) Egyptian Transport Company: Of the 173 pieces of equipment scheduled to be shipped to Nyala 99 percent of the equipment has been delivered with only one 35-ton fork-lift unable to be moved from Port Sudan due to its size. Movement of this piece is TBD. ¶17. (SBU) Nepalese FPU: Of the 144 pieces of equipment scheduled for delivery to Nyala, 83 percent has been delivered. Nothing is presently in transit. Seventeen OT-64 APCs are still awaiting transportation from Port Sudan until the GON arranges to provide three trainers to train the Nepalese drivers. KHARTOUM 00001810 003 OF 003 ¶18. (SBU) Pakistani Engineer Company: Of the 356 pieces of equipment scheduled to be delivered to El Geneina, none has been delivered to the final destination. Sixteen percent is in transit and 84 percent is still in El Obeid. The prioritized equipment list has been provided to a contractor who will deliver all equipment except the heavy vehicles by mid-Dec. When all the containers have been delivered, personnel will be deployed to the El Geneina Super camp to construct the Pakistani Level III Hospital. ¶19. (SBU) Pakistani Level III Hospital: Thirty percent of their prefabricated "accommodation units" has been received in Nyala, but further data on what else has moved are pending. The load list consists of 160 containers, 28 vehicles and break/bulk equipment. New York has authorized the movement of this equipment by air -- 53 out of 67 flights have been completed so far. The contractor has increased the number of flights to three every two days into Nyala. The contingent's main body of personnel is due to be deployed mid-December. ¶20. (SBU) Bangladesh Multi-Role Logistics Unit: Of the 413 pieces of equipment scheduled to be moved to Nyala, 94 percent has reached its destination with one percent remaining in El Obeid and five percent in Port Sudan. One container of ammunition remains in El Fasher and will require approval to be moved by air. UNAMID is planning to unload the container and move the ammunition via MI-8 helicopter to Nyala. Other Equipment Movement -------------- ¶21. (SBU) Indonesian FPU: Of the 191 pieces of equipment scheduled for delivery to El Fasher, 96 percent has been delivered with no equipment in transit. The four percent remaining consists of one forklift, two trucks, and three containers of ammunition and awaiting transportation in El Obeid. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered mid-Dec, and a decision on moving the ammunition via air is still pending. ¶22. (SBU) Nigerian FPUs 1 and 2: 100 percent equipment has arrived in Port Sudan and is scheduled to move to El Geneina and Zalinje by mid January. Two large shipments of containers are scheduled for transport this week. FPU Operational News -------------- ¶23. (SBU) Members of the Indonesian FPU in El Fasher are continuing to patrol Zam Zam, Al Salaam, and Abu Shouk internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps, and Wyers reports this activity is "increasing the level of trust for the FPU within the community." The Indonesians also offered gestures of good-will during the EID holiday, donating ten sheep for slaughter and providing Muslim reading material in all three camps. Many of the Bangladeshi and Nepalese FPU members have also departed for the holiday season, and Wyers anticipates FPU activities will be "sluggish" until after Jan 1. Wyers reported no difficulties with the GOS. Planning for Future Operations -------------- ¶24. (SBU) Lt Col Tissier reported visits from Nepalese and Nigerian reconnaissance parties had been postponed due to unspecified visa issues. The Burkina Faso visit is now scheduled from December 13 to 17 in Sector West, and officials will visit Foro Baranga and Habila sites. (Note: The land has not yet been secured in Habila, so the team will simply over fly the area. End Note.) The reconnaissance party for the Italian air lift offer arrived in El Fasher on Dec 7, but has not yet provided information of their findings. ¶25. (SBU) The South African contingent has successfully completed a rotation in which 586 troops returned home and were replaced by 599 new troops on the ground. The rotation of the Rwandan battalions was completed for the three Rwandan battalions on Decemeber 12. The Senegalese rotation will take place from December 20 to 23. Comment: -------------- ¶26. (SBU) To expedite deployment in West Darfur, UNAMID needs C-130 or C-17 aircraft that can land on dirt runways of 2,000 meters. Also required would be the associated load handling equipment. Once the equipment backlog is cleared, continued progress in deployment will depend on Senegal, Tanzania and Burkina Faso providing their load lists to DPKO and UNAMID. Follow-up with these countries is urgently required. ASQUINO