US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1382

UNCLAS ABUJA 001382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR PM/RSAT AND AF/RSA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, SU, NI, DARFUR 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: EXPANDED AU DARFUR PROTECTION FORCE 
POSSIBILITY 
 
REF: A. STATE 167023 
 
     B. AF/SPG (SMITH) E-MAIL 8/10/04 
     C. ABUJA 1380 
     D. ABUJA 1347 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR PUBLICATION ON THE 
INTERNET OR INTRANET. 
 
1. (SBU) As reported Refs C and D and in e-mails, Nigeria is 
providing both military observers and a unit for the military 
protection force, and (as AU chair) is heavily involved in 
talks with the Sudanese on expansion of the protection force. 
 Post has been in constant contact with the GON on supporting 
the deployment until the Ref B e-mail asking us to hand off 
to the UK for supporting the Nigerian deployment, and we 
continue to work with both the British and the Nigerians to 
make that deployment a success.  The Nigerians told us August 
11 was that they have issued orders to stand up their 
military unit for deployment.  The order covers the entire 
home unit of the soldiers who will be deployed, and for the 
purposes of Ref A does not determine how large the force 
deployed will actually be.  The GON is still involved in AU 
discussions, and the force deployed could be larger depending 
on those discussions. 
 
2. (SBU) The British said, however, that Nigeria's DOD 
informed them August 11 that it still did not know that the 
support for moving the Nigerian unit would come from the UK, 
not the U.S.  This was despite the British High 
Commissioner's meeting with President Obasanjo to inform him 
of the UK's commitment.  We believe it is just a problem of 
moving information from the Presidency down the chain of 
command, and we will continue to monitor this issue as well. 
CAMPBELL