MINURCAT SOLICITS FUNDING FOR CONTINUED CHADIAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000057

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF UN CT CD
SUBJECT: MINURCAT SOLICITS FUNDING FOR CONTINUED CHADIAN
POLICE TRAINING AND RULE OF LAW ACTIVITIES IN EASTERN CHAD

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) Summary: MINURCAT officials, UN Police (UNPOL)
Chief Major General Chaumont and SRSG Assistant Gerard
Gerrold, met with the DCM February 24 to discuss continued
funding for MINURCAT activities in eastern Chad targeting
police capacity-building and improvements in the Rule of Law
sector. Chaumont and Gerrold said these activities would
continue to be financed through a Trust Fund begun in 2008 to
support training for a special police/gendarme force (the
DIS) deployed in and around refugee and IDP camps. According
to MINURCAT calculations, the Trust Fund requires
replenishing in order to cover the projected cost of
supporting the DIS through 2009 and 2010. In addition, as
part of its mandate, MINURCAT proposes to implement
complementary activities in the corrections and justice
sectors which will require increased funding. Gerrold told
the DCM that the SRSG will either launch a public appeal for
additional Trust Fund financing or make a more discreet
request to previous donors for continued support. In
preliminary discussions with the SRSG the European Union
Delegation pledged between seven and eight million euros to
the Trust Fund and said it would prefer that MINURCAT pursue
the second, more discreet option, in soliciting further
donations. The DCM requested and received detailed
information on the proposed 2009-2010 budget and promised to
convey MINURCAT's appeal to Washington. The DCM also noted
concerns shared by other donors regarding past difficulties
in properly vetting Chadian participants for police and
military training programs. Chaumont explained UNPOL's
rigorous process for screening DIS candidates. All agreed
that international support for the DIS and other Rule of Law
programs cannot continue indefinitely and that the GoC should
be encouraged to take ownership of these programs. End
Summary


2. (SBU) MINURCAT officials, UNPOL Chief Major General
Chaumont and SRSG Assistant Gerard Gerrold, met with the DCM
February 24 to discuss continued funding for MINURCAT
activities in eastern Chad targeting police capacity-building
and improvements in the Rule of Law sector. Chaumont began
the discussion by reporting on the successful completion of
UNPOL's mission in training and deploying 850 DIS police
officers to eastern Chad. The final training session ended
February 7 and all officers have now been deployed to their
assigned positions in one of 6 police stations or 12 police
posts located in and around refugee camps and IDP sites.
UNPOL officers will continue to monitor performance and
provide daily support to DIS detachments in the field and
will do a comprehensive formal evaluation in the next few
months. Chaumont noted the need for this type of evaluation
before considering any expansion of the training program
and/or increase in the number of DIS officers. The DCM asked
whether they shared concerns expressed by the French that in
the past, properly vetting Chadian candidates for various
training programs had been difficult and as a result some
programs had inadvertently included human rights offenders
and criminals. Chaumont said all DIS candidates had been
thoroughly identified and vetted through UN and partner human
rights organizations prior to inclusion in the program.


3. (SBU) SRSG Assistant Gerrold provided details on the Trust
Fund budget and explained the need for additional funding to
cover projected costs in 2009 and 2010. The Trust Fund began
in 2008 with an initial sum of $21 million to support DIS
training and other costs associated with their deployment.
Approximately nine million dollars was dispensed from this
original amount in 2008. According to MINURCAT, the
remaining $16 million in the Trust Fund will not be
sufficient to cover DIS costs through the end of 2009. Total
support for DIS in the field, which includes incentive pay,
costs between $500- $600,000 per month. Including the cost
of lodging construction for the detachments, Gerrold
estimated they would need an additional three million dollars
in 2009. The projected cost of supporting the DIS in 2010 is
$17 million for a total of $20 million over the next two
years.


4. (SBU) Gerrold described MINURCAT's plan to implement
complementary programs in the Rule of Law sector which will
also require funding through the Trust Fund. As he noted,
improved police performance must be accompanied by
construction and rehabilitation of prisons and increased
capacity in the justice system in order to have a measurable
impact on security in the region. MINURCAT Rule of Law

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programs in 2009 and 2010 will cost an estimated $10 million
including six million dollars for the correctional system and
four million dollars for the justice sector. In total, the
SRSG is likely to appeal for $30 - $31 million in donations
to the Trust Fund over the next two years.


5. (SBU) The SRSG will either launch a public appeal for
Trust Fund financing or make a discreet, more targeted,
request to prior donors for continued support. In their
discussions with the SRSG on this topic, the EU Delegation
said they would prefer that MINURCAT pursue the second option
in soliciting donations. Gerrold described this as
potentially a "Friends of Chad" donor group effort. In
response to the DCM's request for more details, he said they
would request at least the equivalent of previously donated
amounts from each past donor. (This list includes: Japan,
Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, the EU, the Netherlands, and
Belgium in addition to the U.S., all of whom are giving or
are expected to give in the two to three million dollar
range.) Gerrold reported that the EU Delegation had already
pledged between seven and eight million euros in preliminary
discussions with the SRSG. The DCM acknowledged the merit of
MINURCAT's programs and promised to convey its request to
Washington. All agreed that international support for the
DIS and other Rule of Law programs cannot continue
indefinitely and that the GoC should be encouraged to take
ownership of these programs if they are to become
sustainable.

NIGRO