US embassy cable - 05NDJAMENA370

C O N F I D E N T I A L  NDJAMENA 000370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE PASS USAID FOR COMPTROLLER 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, CD, SU, Darfur Policy and Rebels 
SUBJECT: CHAD SEEKS HELP TO PAY FOR DARFUR MEDIATION 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marc M. Wall for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary.  Chad needs help to defray the expenses of 
its mediation effort on Darfur and is asking for U.S. 
assistance, according to President Deby's top foreign affairs 
and military advisors.  In the meeting they requested with 
the Ambassador March 7, the two leaders of Chad's mediation 
team claimed Chad cannot afford to host meetings of the Joint 
Commission on the Darfur Humanitarian Ceasefire or support 
the visit of a verification team to Darfur.  From our 
perspective, the African Union (AU), the Joint Commission's 
co-chair, could help ease some of the pressures by providing 
more logistical support.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C)  The Ambassador called on Special Advisor for 
International Relations Alam-mi Ahmad and Special Advisor to 
the Presidency General Mahamat Ali March 7 at their request 
to hear an appeal for help in paying the bills for Chad's 
mediation efforts on Darfur.  As French Ambassador Bercot 
waited in the reception room for his turn to receive the same 
pitch, President Deby's advisors told the Ambassador that 
Chad wants to serve the international community as well as 
its own people in helping to mediate an end to the Darfur 
conflict.  But, they stressed, it simply does not have the 
means to continue doing so. 
 
3.  (C)  Alam-mi said Chad has been exhausted by the conflict 
in Darfur.  The mediation effort and additional security on 
the border has cost Chad almost USD 20 million, he claimed. 
Chad is paying exorbitant bills to house the rebel 
delegations in N'Djamena.  It is stuck with transportation 
expenses.  It has to shoulder the costs of meetings of the 
Joint Ceasefire Commission.   To underscore his point, 
Alam-mi provided copies of communications with the Embassy 
concerning the bill for the charter flight U.S. 
representatives had promised to pay for carrying AU and rebel 
movement representatives to the ceasefire negotiations last 
March. 
 
4.  (C)   Alam-mi and Ali said it is time to convene the next 
meeting of the Joint Ceasefire Commission, but Chad does not 
have the resources to host it.  They had planned to send a 
verification team to determine troop positions in Darfur 
March 10, but Chad cannot afford that either.  In conclusion, 
they urged U.S. help to defray the cost of Chad's mediation 
efforts. 
 
5. (C)  The Ambassador noted that the United States has 
already committed over USD 80 million to the refugee relief 
efforts in eastern Chad.  He said the United States is 
looking at proposals to expand support for Chadian 
populations directly affected by the refugee influx.  He 
pointed to U.S. support for the AU's monitoring and 
protection force in Darfur.  He promised to convey their 
request, but suggested that Washington might be more 
receptive to assisting in reinforcing the AU's capacity in 
this effort. 
 
6.  (C)  In response, Alam-mi said he had discussed the 
matter in Khartoum recently with AU Darfur envoy Sam Ibok. 
He was not impressed with the AU's ability.  Nor did he think 
rebel representatives would agree to shift talks under the 
auspices of the Joint Ceasefire Commission to Addis Ababa. 
Alam-mi and Ali said the African Union is already supposed to 
be providing assistance, but is not following through.  Chad 
is being dictated to by "little bureaucrats" at the AU, 
Alam-mi observed. 
 
7  (C)  Comment:  For a government as strapped for cash as 
Chad's, it is not surprising that it is having a hard time 
supporting diplomatic efforts on Darfur.  The question not 
raised in this discussion was what should be Chad's role as a 
mediator, even if it has the financial means to do so.  It is 
too implicated in the conflict in Darfur to be trusted as an 
honest broker by the belligerents.  On the other hand, 
motivated by those interests and in the absence of any other 
competent regional party taking a day-to-day lead, it is at 
least doing what it can.  Chad is desperate for a settlement. 
 For the past year, Chadian officials have viewed the Joint 
Ceasefire Commission as their key mechanism to push the peace 
process.  They are not likely to be willing to agree to a 
change in venue if it means giving up the chairmanship.  It 
would ease some of the pressures on them if the AU was 
shouldering more of the logistical burden (e.g., paying hotel 
bills for the rebels, making transportation arrangements, 
installing a representative in N'Djamena charged with these 
tasks). 
 
8.  (C)  We note again the unpaid bill for the charter flight 
to carry AU officials and representatives from the rebel 
movements to the talks in N'Djamena that resulted in the 
 
Agreement on Humanitarian Ceasefire on the Conflict in Darfur 
last April.  Our delegation agreed to pay the bill, but we 
have not done so.  We understand it is now in the hands of 
the USAID Comptroller.  We are ready to provide any 
additional information or documentation, but hope to resolve 
the matter as soon as possible.  End Comment. 
 
9.  (U) Khartoum Minimize Considered 
WALL 
 
 
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