UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 21

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000243 SIPDIS SIPDIS IO AND AF FOR FRONT OFFICE; PLEASE PASS TO SE WILLIAMSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2018 TAGS: AF PGOV PREL SU NSC UNSC KPKO MOPS SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 21 MARCH 2008 Classified By: Pol Min Counselor Jeff DeLaurentis for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: USUN and the Canadian Permanent Mission co-chaired the first working-level meeting of the "Friends of UNAMID" on March 13. Discussion focused on how members of the group can work in partnership with the UN to help identify and remove impediments to UNAMID deployment. On the margins of the meeting, UN DPKO Force Generation Services reported to USUN that the deployment of the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and the rotation of the former AMIS battalions into Darfur are significantly behind schedule. END SUMMARY. -------------- UNAMID Friends Meeting -------------- ¶2. (C) The focus of the "Friends" meeting, launched March 6 by Presidential Special Envoy to Sudan, Ambassador Richard Williamson, is to bring together partner countries to help facilitate the rapid deployment of UNAMID. At this first meeting, S/E Williamson emphasized the importance of donor nations joining together to ensure the deployment of 3,600 peacekeepers by June of 2008. Milads and Poloffs from France, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Japan attended. The members will consult their capitals and bring to the next meeting proposals for assistance to UNAMID. DPKO IOT Director Michael Gaouette, as well as UN personnel from Force Generation Services (FGS),Military Planning, and the UN Logistical Support Division also attended. -------------- Deployment Timeline Falling Behind Schedule -------------- ¶3. (C) According to FGS, the Egyptian heavy transport and signals units will not/not deploy as scheduled on March 16. The Egyptian are entertaining UNAMID Force Commander Agwai's request to locate their units in Sector North vice Sector South. The Egyptians conducted a recce of the northern sector this week 8-10 March and are considering whether to agree to General Agwai's request. Additionally the equipment for the Egyptian units has arrived in Nyala (Sector South). If the Egyptians agree to move north they must wait for their equipment to shift from the south before they deploy. ¶4. (C) According to FGS the Ethiopian infantry battalion, recce company, multi-role logistical unit and medium transport company are still planned to deploy in May. Note: The US is procuring equipment to ready the infantry battalion in order to bring them up to UN standards. With out this equipment it is likely the infantry battalion will not/not deploy. ¶5. (C) FGS also informed USUN that the former AU Mission in Sudan battalions (now part of UNAMID) are well behind their rotation dates. These battalions -- a total of 2,500 new troops -- were scheduled to rotate between April and June. The UN and Force Commander General Agwai had intended to rotate these battalions during this timeframe at UN manning and equipment levels. None of the TCCs (Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa) have finalized their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) discussions. These contingents must discuss with the UN their equipment and readiness levels in order for the UN to schedule a pre-deployment visit to inspect the deploying unit and its equipment. A draft MOU draft must be in place for Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal to define what the UN will reimburse TCCs for their Contingency Owned Equipment (COE). FGS said these TCCs do not have the UN required equipment. Due to the lack of equipment, these TCCs have not been available to enter into MOU discussions with the UN. FGS will not contract air transportation to move the TCCs until it has a load list of what each TCC will bring to UNAMID. FGS said it will take 90 days from receipt of the load list to contract air for movement. KHALILZAD