PRIME MINISTER PLANS TO IMPLEMENT OUAGA IV

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000068 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2019 TAGS: MARR PGOV KDEM EAID PREL IV SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER PLANS TO IMPLEMENT OUAGA IV REF: ABIDJAN 22 Classified By: PolEcon Chief Silvia Eiriz for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The Prime Minister's Office has drafted an operational program for implementation of the fourth supplementary agreement (Ouaga IV) to the Ouagadougou Polib=Xo|WPthat the PNRRC has already reconfirmed the plans of 4,000 FN troops. He noted that the FN troops will also have to be informed about the option of participating in the civic service since the pbX6Q service. Those who had a trade before joining the FN and want to go back to it, won't go through the civic service and will be 9QG)Qh3Q-combatants in reinsertion activities due to lack of funding. According to Domande, the FN are currently preparing a demobilization schedule and the next regroupment exercises will be held in Katiola and Man. Domande told Emboff that PNRRC held a meENZ'T>lUnion to discuss reinsertion activities for FN ex-combatants in order to avoid duplication of efforts. All of these donors have agreed to finance some form of reinsertion program. Militia Demobilization -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Domande stated that, according to the Integrated Command Center (ICC),there are about 51,000 militia members nationwide. According to Domande, the ICC obtained their names from the militia chiefs. Domande told Emboff that the PNRRC have already profiled the militia in the west, which number about 20,000 persons. He noted tX^?+]vek of January 26. Bonuses -------------- ABIDJAN 00000068 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) Domande admitted that it will be difficult for the government to come up with the 500,000 CFA (circa USD 1,000) that Ouaga IV provides for each FN ex-combatant and militia member. Domande told Emboff that the Prime Minister met on January 16 with the chiefs of militia groups from the west. According to Domande, Prime Minister Soro indicated it would be difficult to find the funding for their bonuses. However, Domande said that donors at the January 22 meeting were able to identify funding for reinsertion projects in the west. He said a task force will be set up to begin work on implementation of such projects, but could not provide a date for when the projects might actually begin. He added that he hoped the militia members will forget about the 500,000 CFA bonus included in Ouaga IV. Domande agreed with Emboff that it is dangerous to include payment of such a bonus in Ouaga IV knowing that it may be impossible to actually pay it. Return of Administration -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Ouaga IV stipulates that all public servants and judges assigned to the areas under the control of the FN should return by January 15. Eben-Ezer Guebo Dja, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Civil Service Redeployment (CNPRA),told Emboff on January 26 that to date 96 percent of the civil administration has been redeployed. However, this does not include police or gendarmes. Dja explained that the civil administration needs to be redeployed more equitably throughout the country since many are currently concentrated in urban areas. (Comment: Press reporting on January 29 indicates that 2,000 national police will soon be assigned to FN zones. Post will monitor and report on how these two groups co-exist and, in particular, their impact on the identification process. End Comment.) ¶9. (SBU) Dja stated there are 379 judicial personnel, including 52 judges, who need to be redeployed to staff 10 courts and 11 prisons in the areas under FN control. He explained that there was hesitancy by the judges to take up their duties before law enforcement had been redeployed. However, the CNPRA convinced them to begin carrying out administrative duties, such as issuance of birth documentation, which does not require assistance from law enforcement. Dja said he expects all judges will be redeployed by February 1 and that he has secured Ministry of Finance funding for the bonuses for the judicial personnel. He noted that the EU has provided funding for the rehabilitation of the 10 courthouses in areas under FN control and that 6 of them have been completed. He explained that the judges assigned to the 4 courthouses that have not yet been rehabilitated will rent buildings until the work on the courthouses is completed. Dja said financing to furnish the courthouses has been obtained from UNDP. ¶10. (C) Comment: It is an encouraging sign that the PM's office is focused on how Ouaga IV will be implemented. We are not surprised that funding remains the central issue; donors have never been enthusiastic about financing the PNRRC. The return of law enforcement is a critical, but thorny issue. Minister of Interior Desire Tagro (a close Gbagbo ally) wants police in the region who will take orders from him. The FN fear that will result in major disruptions to the identification process. However, a key feature of Ouaga IV is an acknowledgment by the FN that civilian officials need to return. We are told that the FN have had difficulty identifying a sufficient number of troops under their command who can meet the qualifications of the police. This will indeed be a very tricky but necessary issue for the PM to resolve. End Comment. NESBITT