UNAMID UPDATE, MARCH 31

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000449

DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/C
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: UNAMID UPDATE, MARCH 31

REF: A) KHARTOUM 425
B) KHARTOUM 347
C) KHARTOUM 310


1. (SBU) Summary: UNAMID is preparing for Nepalese contingent-owned
equipment (COE) to arrive in Sudan. The COE will get here before
the contingent of Nepalese troops, which UNAMID is pushing to be on
the ground by July 2009. In April and May, an Egyptian battalion
will deploy to two camps in the contentious region southwest of
Nyala in Sector South. A financial dispute is hindering the arrival
of the 2nd Ethiopian battalion, which intends to travel in April by
road convoy from Addis Ababa to Sector South. Construction will
commence shortly on facilities in Nyala for the Ethiopian MI-24
attack helicopters, but the GOS has not yet given final approval for
their operation in Darfur. However, this should be a procedural
approval as the GOS has not previously objected to this aspect of
UNAMID's deployment plan. Finally, the backlog for receiving UNAMID
visas continues to grow, as the GOS continues to delay visa issuance
to important senior officers from European countries. End summary.


2. (SBU) Under a somewhat unusual arrangement, Nepalese COE will be
shipped directly to Port Sudan from the manufacturer due to
political instability in Nepal, according to Col. Noddy Stafford, J5
of UNAMID. With the COE scheduled to arrive prior to the summer
arrival of the Nepalese Force Reserve and Sector Reserve units,
UNAMID intends to lump it in with shipments of other COE and UNAMID
equipment from Port Sudan to Darfur. UNAMID does not expect this
arrangement to complicate the arrival of what will amount to a
significant portion of the total Nepalese COE. Both Nepalese units
had planned to arrive as late as September 2009, but with equipment
on the ground as soon as May, UNAMID HQ intends to push for their
early deployment in July of this year.


3. (SBU) UNAMID will proceed in April and May to deploy two Egyptian
battalions in South Darfur, which should help UNAMID better respond
to violence there (Ref A). In mid-April, a convoy of Egyptian
engineers and Nigerian infantry will proceed to Eid Al Fursan,
approximately 100 kilometers west-southwest of Nyala, and will
commence construction of a UNAMID team site there. Within two
months, the engineering company will move further south to do the
same near Tulus, approximately 100 km south-southwest of Nyala,
while 425 Egyptian peacekeepers will deploy to the new team site at
Eid Al Fursan.


4. (SBU) The second Ethiopian battalion has arranged to arrive in
Darfur in April after traveling in a massive self-contained convoy
by road from Addis Ababa, but disagreements at UNHQ over the amount
of reimbursement may preclude the convoy from departing. According
to Stafford, a self-contained convoy from a neighboring African
country would relieve UNAMID of the massive administrative headaches
caused by bringing COE first to Darfur and then deploying it to the
field. The convoy would leave Addis Ababa to reach Nyala several
days later, and the battalion would deploy immediately to turbulent
Gereida (site of the largest IDP camp in Darfur) and a second camp
in Sector South. Such an operation would reap "huge benefits" in
fulfilling UNAMID's mandate, and Stafford asked that international
partners press UNHQ to resolve this matter as quickly as possible so
the convoy can depart in April.


5. (SBU) UNAMID has succeeded in obtaining the necessary land and
has pre-positioned Chinese engineers at the airstrip in Nyala in
preparation for the construction of facilities to house the
Ethiopian attack helicopters. To house the Ethiopian attack
helicopter pilots near the UN terminal in Nyala, construction of
housing and associated machine shops should commence shortly.
However, the Government of Sudan (GOS) has yet to issue formal
permission for the arrival and operations of the helicopters in
Sudan, an issue that Stafford expects will be taken up at the
upcoming tripartite meetings in El Fasher. (Note: The approval
should be routine as the GOS has not previously objected to this
aspect of UNAMID's deployment plan. UN/USG Susanna Malcorra is
currently in Sudan to participate in the El Fasher tripartite
meetings. End note.)


6. (SBU) UNAMID is bracing for an internal administrative crisis as
the GOS has ceased issuing visas to senior experienced Western
military officers. According to Stafford, 152 UNAMID visas are
pending, while only 22 officers remain in UNAMID from Western
countries including the UK, France, Denmark, Australia and New
Zealand. French military authorities are now no longer sending
officers to UNAMID due to the visa hold-up, and the UK is
considering following France's lead. Stafford predicted that the
hybrid mission's effectiveness will decline quickly if officers with
significant experience from developed countries are not permitted to
serve in UNAMID. Regime officials have repeatedly made it quite

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clear to Emboffs that the regime will not approve such visas given
the current political situation.


7. (SBU) Comment: Post requests that USUN consider pressing the
issue of Ethiopian reimbursement at UNHQ to ensure that the convoy
of the 2nd Ethipian Battalion can depart Addis this month and
relieve pressure on UNAMID HQ in El Fasher. While the UNAMID visa
backlog once reportedly stood at 900 last year, even 152 outstanding
visas is cause for concern at such a critical time. With Sudanese
authorities limiting the space for civil society and humanitarian
operations in Darfur, foot-dragging on UNAMID visas for experienced
officers will result in an even less effective peacekeeping mission,
and a more unstable Darfur. All the developments on deployments
over the last year may be limited in effectiveness if the GOS limits
UNAMID's military management to officers from third world countries
the regime likes.

FERNANDEZ