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
--------------


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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