RWANDA UNAMID DEPLOYMENT READINESS: REPORT #1

UNCLAS KIGALI 000652 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPFO RW SUBJECT: RWANDA UNAMID DEPLOYMENT READINESS: REPORT #1 REF: STATE 100304 ¶1. (SBU) Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) J4 General Patrick Nyamvumba discussed readiness, timetables and deployment obstacles with pol/econ chief September 23. Nyamvumba described the early September Integrated Team Visit (ITV) by UN officials as a success, the two sides agreeing that Rwanda was generally ready to deploy and could begin to do so starting October 25, and continuing until early December. A UN Pre-Deployment Visit (PDV) team will arrive Sunday, September 28 for a final three-day assessment; more than one PDV may be conducted by UN personnel. ¶2. (SBU) While some equipment for the four battalions to be deployed to Darfur has yet to arrive (chiefly 58 Chinese APCs and some medical gear from the Netherlands),Rwanda has argued and believes the ITV team agreed that full possession of all military equipment is not necessary to begin deployment. Some engineering issues remain to be decided regarding expansion of camps for the four battalions in Darfur, but these can be resolved, said Nyamvumba. Nyamvumba said the ITV team also appeared to accept Rwanda's position that all four battalions to be deployed will be 800-man contingents, rather than sized to match those now in Darfur. ¶3. (SBU) The major concern for the RDF remains the shipment of accompanying peace-keeping equipment to Darfur. Rwanda has argued that both men and gear should be airlifted from Rwanda to Darfur, as the most efficient and trustworthy route. Transport by road and sea to Dar-es-Salaam and then to Port Sudan, or by road through Uganda to southern Sudan, runs too great a risk of either delaying tactics by the Sudanese government, or loss of equipment through use along lengthy routes in rough conditions. SIM