RWANDA ACCEPTS 20 MILLION DOLLARS OF USG DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000602 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS RW SUBJECT: RWANDA ACCEPTS 20 MILLION DOLLARS OF USG DARFUR EQUIPMENT Classified By: Charge Cheryl Sim for Reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (U) On September 3, Charge formally presented to the Rwanda Defense Forces approximately twenty million dollars of equipment and transportation support items under the Global Peace Operations Initiative, intended for use by Rwanda's UNAMID contingent in Darfur. The entire upper echelon of the Rwandan military attended, including Minister of Defense General Marcel Gatsinzi, Chief of Defense Staff General James Kabarebe, Army Chief General Charles Kayonga, Air Force Chief General Charles Muhire, Logistics Chief General Patrick Nyamvumba, and visiting from Darfur, UNAMID Deputy Commander General Karenzi Karake. After a tour of the large compound where Department contractor PA&E procured and stored the equipment, Gatsinzi, Charge and others made brief remarks; Gatsinzi was effusive in his thanks for USG support for the RDF, citing not just this equipment for peacekeeping in Darfur, but also IMET training and other activities. ¶2. (C) In the course of the tour of the large compound, General Karake told us that he had not yet been reappointed to his position as Deputy UNAMID Commander, as it required some action by UNSG Ban Ki-moon, who was away from New York. Karake did not appear unduly concerned, noting that his present position did not expire until October. Regarding the attack upon a UNAMID convoy in the Darfur area that resulted in the deaths of several Rwandan soldiers in July, he said a Sudanese government (GOS) delegation had attempted to blame the attack on militias not associated with the GOS, but their explanations "did not make sense." On UNAMID Commander, Nigerian General Martin Agwai, Karake was diplomatic, noting Agai was sometimes "overly-cautious," but said he had a good working relationship with the Nigerian. ¶3. (SBU) Finally, regarding the hundreds of trucks and other pieces of equipment drawn up on the compound, and mentioning the armored personnel carriers on order from China, the usually taciturn General Kabarebe said, "if you think we have been performing well up to now, wait until we get this stuff up there." SIM