VZCZCXRO4917
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #0022/01 0121632
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121632Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4845
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000022 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR PGOV KDEM EAID PREL IV
SUBJECT: MILITARY ISSUES RESOLVED IN OUAGA IV (THE FOURTH 
SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT TO OPA) 
 
REF: 08 ABIDJAN 899 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The Ouagadougou Political Agreement's 
(OPA) fourth supplementary agreement (often referred to as 
Ouaga IV) addresses military issues that have blocked 
disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), 
including grades, ranks, and the establishment of a new army. 
 This cable describes the agreement's provisions.  In brief, 
the Zone Commanders (Comzones) will retire from military 
life, the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) will 
demobilize at least 2 months before the date of the election, 
and the militia will be dismantled within the same timeframe; 
both the FAFN and the militia will receive a payment of 
500,000 CFA (USD 1066).  The national government will take 
over tax and customs collections nationwide as of January 15 
and the judiciary will return to the areas under FAFN control 
by the same date.  The wording of the agreement in French 
leaves room for different interpretations and it is not yet 
clear if the parties share the same interpretation of the 
text.  End Summary. 
 
The New Army 
------------ 
 
¶2. (U) The agreement provides for the creation of a new 
national army, rather than for the reintegration of the FAFN 
into the existing national army.  It calls for the judicial 
texts necessary for the creation of a new army to be drafted 
and signed one month after the signature of the agreement. 
(The agreement was initialed on December 22 by FAFN Chief of 
Staff General Soumaila Bakayoko and Interior Minister Desire 
Tagro, but signed subsequently and separately by President 
Gbagbo, Prime Minister Soro, and Facilitator President 
Compaore.)  The new army is to be put into effect no later 
than one month after the inauguration of the new president. 
Article 39 of the Constitution provides that the 
president-elect is sworn in before the Constitutional Council 
within 48 hours of the definitive proclamation of the 
election results. 
 
¶3. (U) The FAFN will provide the government with a list of 
5,000 FAFN troops who want to join the new army. The 
government will then study their backgrounds and determine 
within 2 years whether or not they are eligible.  In the 
meantime, they will be regrouped under the FAFN Chief of 
Staff with the support of the impartial forces in military 
camps in Bouake, Korhogo, Man, and Seguela, where they will 
receive training. 
 
 
DDR 
--- 
 
¶4. (U) The agreement states that DDR of the FAFN is to be 
completed at the latest 2 months before the date fixed for 
the presidential election.  The weapons that are collected 
will be put under the control of the Integrated Command 
Center (ICC) under the supervision of the "impartial forces" 
(the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire - UNOCI - and 
the French Licorne troops).  The Forces Nouvelles (FN) will 
submit to the Facilitator as soon as possible the names of 
3,400 persons who will be deployed with the national police 
and gendarmerie under the authority of the ICC.  Once the 
political crisis is over, they can compete to become recruits 
according to the recruitment norms in effect.  The FN will 
also provide the Facilitator with the names of the 600 
persons trained in accord with the Pretoria Agreement who 
will be deployed right away with the national police and 
gendarmes.  Once the political crisis is over, they will be 
integrated into the police and gendarmerie. 
 
¶5. (U) Ouaga IV states that each demobilized FAFN soldier 
should receive a payment of 500,000 CFA (USD 1066) or 
equivalent reintegration support (See reftel).  The militia 
will be dismantled concurrently with the FAFN DDR; the 
agreement recommends that they be compensated in the same 
manner as the FAFN.  The weapons collected from the militia, 
like the weapons collected from the FAFN, will be stockpiled 
by the ICC under the supervision of the impartial forces. 
Dismantlement of the militia, like FAFN DDR, must be 
completed at the latest 2 months before the date fixed for 
the presidential election. 
 
Grades 
------ 
 
¶6. (U) A presidential decree will be signed to bestow the 
rank of Brigadier General on FAFN Chief of Staff Bakayoko and 
Michel Gueu (currently Chief of the Prime Minister's Military 
 
ABIDJAN 00000022  002 OF 002 
 
 
Cabinet). 
 
¶7. (U) FAFN members who were retired from the national army 
(FANCI) will keep their pensions, subject to the presentation 
of appropriate documentation.  Those who reached retirement 
age since the rebellion, will be able to obtain a pension 
according to the rank they would have attained had they 
remained in the FANCI.  FAFN members who were on active duty 
in the FANCI at the time of the rebellion will receive the 
rank held by their class peers who remained in the FANCI.  A 
presidential decree will be signed to address the issue of 
the former NCOs and troops who were promoted to officer rank 
in the FAFN (the ComZones).  They will be allowed to 
operationally retain their ranks until the end of the 
political crisis and will then retire from military life. 
 
Return of Civil Administration 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (U) The agreement provides that prefects and sub-prefects 
will fully exercise their functions effective January 15. 
Ceremonies will be held to mark the transfer of power from 
the Comzones to them. Judges are to take office in the areas 
under FN control by the same date.  The national government 
will take over tax and customs collections nationwide as of 
January 15. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: The agreement does not stipulate the number 
of FAFN troops to be demobilized or the number of militia 
members to be dismantled.  Embassy has previously been told 
that about 25,000 FAFN need to be demobilized, although this 
figure remains in dispute.  Nonetheless, it is possible to 
estimate that the government of Cote d'Ivoire will need to 
identify USD 20-30 million to cover the cost of DDR for the 
FAFN and USD 10-20 million to cover DDR for the militia.  It 
is unclear where the GOCI, which claims to be strapped for 
cash, will find the funds. 
 
10 (SBU) The provisions of the written text track for the 
most part with the description given to Embassy by FAFN 
spokesperson and Minister of Tourism Sidiki Konate (see 
reftel), with one major exception: the inclusion of payment 
to the militias.  Carrying out the provisions of this fourth 
supplementary agreement will be difficult and time consuming, 
but if the parties' understanding of this agreement ultimate 
proves to be in sync, then Cote d'Ivoire may have taken a 
major step forward toward national unity, normalization and 
peace. 
NESBITT