Operation AUGURAL

As Canada’s military contribution to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), Operation AUGURAL was conducted to build capacity in the areas of strategic planning, air operations, contracting, logistics and operations planning, and land operations with the Canadian “armoured vehicle, general purpose”, or AVGP.

Canadian support to AMIS began with a contribution of more than $1.4 million worth of basic army equipment, including helmets, body armour and maps. In 2005, this initial endowment was followed by a loan of 105 “armoured vehicles, general purpose” (AVGPs) to three A.U. nations contributing troops to AMIS: Senegal, Rwanda and Nigeria.

The loan (which continues under Operation SATURN) comprises 100 Grizzly and five Husky AVGPs, six-wheeled armoured fighting vehicles that offer safe transport for up to 10 soldiers (an infantry section). The Grizzly personnel carrier is well suited to the task of moving AMIS troops quickly and safely, especially in the terrain of Darfur, and the Husky maintenance and recovery vehicle can transport maintenance crews and retrieve vehicles that may require repair while away from their home base.

On 31 July 2007, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1769 established a hybrid African Union-U.N. peace-support mission called UNAMID (see Operation SATURN) to assume responsibility for peace operations in Darfur on 1 January 2008. The loan of the AVGPs to Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal will continue through their transition to UNAMID.

Task Force Addis Ababa

Task Force Addis Ababa is the Canadian mission supporting AMIS. Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Meisner, it comprises 11 CAF members, including five in Addis Ababa employed in mission support and as staff officers with the Darfur Integrated Task Force (DITF), an African Union formation; two in Khartoum handling contracts and logistics; and four in El Fashir, Darfur, doing logistics support and training troops from Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal to operate Canadian armoured fighting vehicles.