Cablegate: Rwanda Unamid Deployment Readiness: Report #1

VZCZCXRO9591
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHLGB #0652 2671518
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231518Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5633
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0199
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0037
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0027
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0160

UNCLAS KIGALI 000652

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPFO RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA UNAMID DEPLOYMENT READINESS: REPORT #1

REF: STATE 100304

1. (SBU) Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) J4 General Patrick
Nyamvumba discussed readiness, timetables and deployment
obstacles with pol/econ chief September 23. Nyamvumba
described the early September Integrated Team Visit (ITV) by
UN officials as a success, the two sides agreeing that Rwanda
was generally ready to deploy and could begin to do so
starting October 25, and continuing until early December. A
UN Pre-Deployment Visit (PDV) team will arrive Sunday,
September 28 for a final three-day assessment; more than one
PDV may be conducted by UN personnel.

2. (SBU) While some equipment for the four battalions to be
deployed to Darfur has yet to arrive (chiefly 58 Chinese APCs
and some medical gear from the Netherlands), Rwanda has
argued and believes the ITV team agreed that full possession
of all military equipment is not necessary to begin
deployment. Some engineering issues remain to be decided
regarding expansion of camps for the four battalions in
Darfur, but these can be resolved, said Nyamvumba. Nyamvumba
said the ITV team also appeared to accept Rwanda's position
that all four battalions to be deployed will be 800-man
contingents, rather than sized to match those now in Darfur.

3. (SBU) The major concern for the RDF remains the shipment
of accompanying peace-keeping equipment to Darfur. Rwanda
has argued that both men and gear should be airlifted from
Rwanda to Darfur, as the most efficient and trustworthy
route. Transport by road and sea to Dar-es-Salaam and then
to Port Sudan, or by road through Uganda to southern Sudan,
runs too great a risk of either delaying tactics by the
Sudanese government, or loss of equipment through use along
lengthy routes in rough conditions.
SIM

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