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On 10/22/2010 4:01:26 PM Colonel Peter Davies wrote
Note: As part of the handover-takeover of responsibilities of Director of Operations for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Colonel Peter Davies and U.S. Army Colonel Damon Igou traveled to Awassa, Ethiopi, to see firsthand the work of Civil Affairs Team 413 of Charlie Company, 418th Civil Affairs Battalion to gain an impression of the team's work and living conditions. Another key element of the trip was to visit the site of a proposed pedestrian bridge in the town of Negle in response to the local population's discontent over the time the project was taking. The intention of imparting a high level of confidence for the local government and reinforce that the U.S. Africa Command intended to see the project through to a successful and satisfactory conclusion.
Arriving in Ethiopia late Saturday afternoon provided a welcome change from the heat and desert of Djibouti, and a night in a hotel in Addis Ababa provided an even greater contrast to Camp Lemonnier. Refreshed and rested the next day, we joined the team on Sunday morning for the drive to Awassa, some seven and a half hours south. Our first exposure to Ethiopian roads was a cross between London and New York rush hour, although things did improve as we broke free of Addis. First impressions -- Ethiopia is a beautiful scenic country of green hills bordering the Great Rift Valley. Awassa is a thriving university town with what seems to be a very young population.
The drive the next day started on paved road, but this luxury was quickly left behind. We climbed over steep mountains through farmland and stands of eucalyptus trees, shades of Australia, for the first five hours with a short break for lunch of boiled goat. Over the next three and a half hours of our continuing travels, we gradually lost height and the scenery changed to grassland, scattered bushes and giant red ant hills, again reminiscent of Australia. (Of note: A new road is being constructed in three sections by Korean, Turkish and Chinese companies.)
We arrived hot and dusty in Negele at dusk. The town is a regional center with a small traveler's hotel owned and run by an ex-Ethiopian sergeant major so cleanliness was not a issue. We were welcomed with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, confirmed the plan for the following day and retired after a meal of Tibes - goat roasted over a charcoal burner.
We have a newfound respect for the team's professionalism in that they have maintained their enthusiasm for the mission after seven months on a diet based largely on goat. Key takeaway at this stage was that it had taken us two and a half days traveling to reach the project site. It must also be borne in mind that compared to the area where the bed nets were distributed two months ago, Negele is easily accessible.
Negele is not the place for a quiet night! Cats on the tin roof, a heavy rain shower, barking dogs, insomniac cockerels and finally between 4 and 6 a.m. the dueling muezzin and Orthodox Church clergy. Reveille at 6 a.m. was a welcome break as was the lack of aftereffects from an excess of goat.
The site for the pedestrian bridge is in Negele town which is divided by a steep wadi with a small stream which during the rainy season increases to a raging torrent 20-feet deep. The bridge will allow access to the clinic and school when the crossing is flooded. The project site is feasible but will require a design-and-build contract to an Ethiopian company, preferably one local to the region. A meeting on Tuesday evening with the "Negele Bridge Committee" confirmed the community's commitment to the project. They were reassured we are committed to building the bridge and have a better understanding of the time it takes to arrange the funding, complete the design and to bring the workforce and material together.
Late Tuesday morning we traveled 45 kilometers south for two hours to the site of a water retention pond that served a predominantly-Ethiopian Somali pastoralist community until part of the pond wall failed in April 2010. In September, the country requested a quick fix with sandbags before the short rains were due to begin in October. Closer examination of the requirement confirmed that at least 100,000 sandbags would be required and that a better solution would be to use hescobastion gabions which can be filled and compacted by hand. We were told a workforce of some 1,200 would be made available. The full repair would require a frontend loader or dozer. The CA team passed the information from the detailed recce conducted by Navy Chief Petty Officer Leland Routt, CJTF-HOA J34, to confirm the availability of the hescobastion and allow cross-staff coordination. The details will also be passed to the country team to allow them to pursue the long-term repair concurrently.
In late afternoon we visited the Director of the Regional Health Office of the Negele Woreda, and were impressed by his knowledge of his area. He has detailed charts on the wall that show the population of his 17 kebeles (small districts of around 7,000 each centered on a small town), number of households and the severity of malaria infection. He told us that the population numbers were "inaccurate because babies are born everyday." He lacks the transportation to visit the kebeles on a regular basis. The details he provided to U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Daniel Deckard, CA Team leader, on the time and distances to each of the kebeles will allow him and the follow-on team to better plan future distribution of mosquito nets in support of the country team and Center for Disease Control.
This four-day exposure to the work of a CA team in an isolated region has confirmed that persistent presence is more cost effective than occasional, regular or irregular, visits. The teams are supported logistically but would benefit from a greater number of chain of command visits in order to improve their access to advice and material.
PA mission to Ethiopia 1/8/2011 · By Airman 1st Class Jevon Smith
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa strategic communication combat camera videographer
VETCAP in Negele 1/8/2011 · Captain David Creech
402nd Civil Affairs Battalion functional specialty team veterinarian
Visiting Our Teams over the Holidays 1/4/2011 · Rear Admiral Brian Losey, commander, and Captain John Dixon, chief of staff, Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa
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