2009 Year in Review

 Highlights: 

• When we returned home and recovered from our inspection trip we had to finalize several drafts of the report itself and document our Work Sheets with evidence itemizing the condition, cause, criteria and effect. Working through January on the Banjul, Luanda and Ouagadougou reports was common.  

• No sooner had we finished one report we had to start the survey phase of the Winter inspection cycle as I was added to the Kinshasa and Brazzaville team at the last minute.  OIG policy did not authorize any lodging or per diem for Retired Annuitants (REA) who lived outside the Washington D.C. area.  Consequently I had to pay for my hotel and meals while up in D.C. for the survey phase of a given inspection.  I normally tried to stay no more than two weeks at a time.  I stayed in downtown Fall Church at the Inns of Virginia near Winter Hill Condos where I lived from 1984-87.               

          For photos and narrative see:  Bill Booth Travels Blog Kinshasa and Brazzaville

• Jim Millett called me out of the blue in late May asking if I would be available to go TDY to Cairo to fill in for the Senior FMO, Mazar Hasan, who was leaving.  My old student, John Bredin, the newly assigned deputy FMO was not due at post until late June.  The DCM was Matthew Tueller who I worked with in Amman where he was Political Officer.  Matt, a career Arabist,  went on to become Ambassador to Yemen and now Iraq. The Management Counselor was Dolores Brown who I inspected when she was DCM and Charge' in Tallinn, Estonia.  Dolores lost her husband, a brilliant young journalist, Graham Brown, to cancer at a young age and raised her two sons.  She went on to head up the Department's Retirement office.  Pat Lacina was the Administrative Officer who went on to work with the Office of the Executive Secretariat.        
  

Embassy Cairo Financial Management Staff

• I went back to Cairo (September 6 - October 2) to close out the fiscal year in advance of the arrival of the new Senior FMO, Richard Boohaker, my colleague from FSC/Paris.  Besides planning year-end procurement and obligating remaining funds, including representation, we had to get the approval of the ICASS Council for next year's budget.      

Favorite Memories:

• I got back from my trip to Kinshasa and Brazzaville just as construction of our new home was nearing completion.  Ernie Diloretti and his crew: Curtis, Bob and Miguel were great.  Doris used to bring them donuts in the morning as she kept on top of activities especially when it came to picking colors for painting the rooms.  The master bedroom had to be changed and I didn't much care for the color of the sun room.  We moved in March 17 and couldn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day because of the delivery of our household effects including furniture and 100 plus boxes as well.  Worked with Carolina Sound and Security not only for the security system but a new 42" TV for the sun room and sound system. 

View of the marsh behind our house at high tide

Finished construction and ready to move in 

• March 24th attended a Jazz concert at the College of Charleston featuring Associate Professor Frank Duvall, who played at our wedding.  We still see Frank often as he is the bassist with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra and plays piano with a trio at local restaurants around town.   

• I got back into tennis right away at the Family Circle Tennis center on Daniel Island and even started playing in a 65+ league with the "Hackers".   

• April 2-3 we travelled to Atlanta to visit David and catch the Chinese Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit at the High Art Museum.

• April 12-19 worked the Family Circle Cup tournament as an usher.  Sabine Lisicki (German) defeated Venus William in straight sets.  Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova (Russia) won the doubles.    

• May 23rd caught Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton at the Cistern on the College of Charleston.  The next night we saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Gaillard.  First act "Good Morning Blues", second Otis Redding songs and final "Revelations".   

• I left for Cairo May 29th and returned to the States July 3rd.for photos of the Pyramids, a "meet and greet" with President Obama and the Great Sphinx.  Plus a trip to the Sinai, Mt. Moses and Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheik.   See  Egypt Summer 2009 | Doris and Bill (dorisandbilltraveladventures.blogspot.com) 

• Summer Vacation in France including Paris, Chateaus and Wineries in the Loire Valley; Leonardo da Vinci's house in Amboise; Monet's house in Giverny; Normandy coast and Mont St. Michel. 

          For photos see: Doris and Bill Travel Adventures Blog Paris Summer 2009   

• During my TDY in Cairo in September I participated in a few Iftars, the meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan.  One memorable one was at the Cairo International Bank, September 15.  I also managed to take a day trip up to el Alamein the famous WWII battle site in norther Egyptian desert.

                          

The campaign in the Western Desert was fought between the Commonwealth forces (including the addition of two brigades of Free French and one each of Polish and Greek troops) all based in Egypt, and the Axis forces (German and Italian) based in Libya. The battlefield, across which the fighting surged back and forth between 1940 and 1942, was the 600 miles of desert between Alexandria in Egypt and Benghazi in Libya. It was a campaign objective to control the Mediterranean, the link with the east through the Suez Canal, the Middle East oil supplies and the supply route to Russia through Persia. The cemetery contains the graves of men who died at all stages of the Western Desert campaigns, brought in from a wide area, but especially those who died in the Battle of El Alamein at the end of October 1942 and in the period immediately before that. The cemetery now contains 7,240 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, of which 815 are unidentified. There are also 102 war graves of other nationalities. The Alamein Cremation Memorial commemorates more than 600 men whose remains were cremated in Egypt and Libya during the war, in accordance with their faith. The Land Forces panels commemorate more than 8,500 soldiers of the Commonwealth who died in the campaigns in Egypt and Libya, and in the operations of the Eighth Army in Tunisia up to 19 February 1943, who have no known grave.

• Two night stay in Hilton Head in November including Kayaking on Broad Creek and hiking Pickney Island.  Had to visit our favorite steak restaurant Frankie Bones. 

 

 

Pinckney Island has about 38 acres of freshwater habitat, comprised of between 30 and 50 small ponds/depressions, ranging from one-half acre up to 4 acres in size. Many of these hold water throughout the year and provide excellent roosting and nesting habitat for colonial wading birds like egrets, ibis, and herons.  These birds nest on the small islands within the ponds, and the water surrounding the sites deters mammalian predators like raccoon from entering nests. Alligators patrolling these waters frequently provide an additional deterrent. Ibis Pond, which is just a mile walk from the refuge parking area, is a popular site for viewing wading birds and other pond life.

• Dick and Raine also visited in November.  Kayaking Charleston harbor looking for wild sharks' teeth from sand bar.

News of the Nation:
President Obama's First Year • Violence and Tragedy at Ft. Hood • Supreme Court Milestone: First Hispanic Justice • An Economy in Turmoil Shows Improvement by Year's End • DNA Test Not a Right, Supreme Court Rules • Health-Care Reform Takes Center Stage in Congress

News of the World:

Presidential Election Marred by Fraud in Afghanistan • President of Honduras Overthrown in Coup • Opposition Protests Presidential Election in Iran • U.S. Diminishes Its Role in Iraq • Peace Remains Elusive for Israelis and Palestinians • Taliban Gains Strength in Pakistan

Movies:

"Slumdog Millionaire" won the Oscar for best picture at the 87th Academy Awards.
Sean Penn won the lead actor award for "Milk," and the lead actress Oscar went to Kate Winslet for "The Reader." Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Christina"  and Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" won for supporting actress and supporting actor.


Super Bowl:
 

 Super Bowl 43 played on February 1, 2009.  I was in   Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo at the Grand   Hotel. The Steelers (15-4) defeated the Cardinals (12-8)   by a score of 27-23, earning their sixth Super Bowl win,   which gave Pittsburgh the record for most Super Bowl   wins and moved them ahead of the San Francisco 49ers   and Dallas Cowboys. Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes   who caught 9 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, i   including 4 for 73 yards on their final scoring drive, was   named Super Bowl MVP.  

World Series: 

 The 2009 World Series was between the the   Phillies and the Yankees.  The Yankees defeated   the Phillies, four games to two, to win the   franchise's 27th World Series championship. The   series was played between October 28 and   November 4,  and watched by roughly 19 million   viewers.  The Yankees secured their World Series   victory by winning Game 6 aided by Matsui's   third home run of the series. He was named   MVP of the   series, making him the first   Japanese-born player   and the first full-time   DH to win the award.

Recap of 2009 Grand Slam Tennis Tournament Winners

·         Australian Open Men's Singles. Winner –  Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer

·         French Open Men's Singles. Winner– Roger Federer defeated Robin Soderling

·         Wimbledon Men's Singles. Winner –  Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick

·         US Open Men's Singles. Winner –  Juan Martine del Potro defeated Roger Federer

 

·         Australian Open Ladies Singles. Winner – Serena Williams defeated Dinara Safina

·         French Open Ladies Singles. Winner– Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Dinara Safina

·         Wimbledon Ladies Singles. Winner – Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams
 

·         US Open Ladies Singles. Winner – Kim Clijsters Pennetta defeated Caroline Wozniacki




 

 

Brazzaville

Overview:

Civil wars and militia conflicts have plagued the Republic of Congo, which is sometimes referred to as Congo-Brazzaville.   Nearly half the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank, even though the Republic of Congo is one of sub-Saharan Africa's main oil producers. Oil is the mainstay of the economy and in recent years the country has tried to increase financial transparency in the sector. Denis Sassou Nguesso is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, having first come to power almost four decades ago.  He was installed as president by the military in 1979 and lost his position in the country's first multi-party elections in 1992.  He returned to power in 1997 after a brief but bloody civil war in which he was backed by Angolan troops.  He gained his latest seven-year term after elections in March 2016.  Constitutional changes to allow him to stand for another term were condemned by the opposition as a constitutional coup.  A French-trained paratrooper colonel, Mr Sassou Nguesso is seen as a pragmatist. During his first presidency in 1979-92 he loosened the country's links with the Soviet bloc and gave French, US and other Western companies roles in oil exploration and production.

But he has also been dogged by corruption allegations. In May 2009, a French judge announced an investigation into whether Mr. Nguesso and two other African leaders - all of whom deny wrongdoing - had plundered state coffers to buy luxury homes and cars in France. 

Source:  BBC Country Profile

American Embassy Brazzaville:

The newly opened Embassy Brazzaville maintained a small staff of American Foreign Service officers and included employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assigned to the World Health Organization mission in Brazzaville. The DCM was Jonathan Pratt who became Ambassador to Djibouti and who BTW was a PCV in Guinea Bissau.  The Management Officer, Vanessa Brooks, was a fairly new FSO and had to rely a lot on the Management Officer in Kinshasa and her staff for assistance in managing Human Resources (HR), Financial Management and General Services.    

The builder of the U.S. Embassy, BL Harbert, faced many challenges as a result of many years of civil war and violence in the Congo.  The city of Brazzaville’s infrastructure was left in complete ruin, making the importation of materials and equipment challenging.   Despite this challenge, Harbert constructed four main facilities on the 11-acre compound, including a two-story chancery building and utility building project that was completed three months ahead of schedule.  

Findings:

We had seven workdays in Brazzaville (from February 26 - March 9, 2009) and only three days to interview the staff and develop our findings.  It was the most compressed schedule I had experienced including working weekends to write up memorandums of conversations (Memcons) and prepare worksheets for my recommendations.   

Even with the New Embassy Compound (NEC) the embassy had to address some serious real property issues.  With all the materials left over from construction the embassy needed to conduct an inventory, identify what is salvageable and usable, and properly store this material in the warehouses. Any unneeded construction material and other obsolete or damaged items should be disposed of through a property sale. The embassy should coordinate with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) and dispose of the two parcels of excess property that overlook the Congo River.  With the NEC and modern building systems a Safety, Health, and Environmental Management program in accordance with regulations was needed.  The local Public Affairs Villa Washington Information Resource Center needed to bring the facility into conformity with security standards.

In terms of administration the embassy needed to establish a functional medical unit and hire a local contract physician.

In the area of HR the embassy needed to review the Republic of the Congo labor law and the local practice of comparators regarding severance pay to determine if a change should be made to the local compensation plan. HR regional support from Embassy Kinshasa called for assistance in working with the Computer Aided Job Evaluation system adjust the grades of assigned to particular positions.  Supervisors did not complete of performance evaluations for all Locally Employed (LE) Staff timely.  There was a significant amount of funds in a suspense account for LE Staff retirement.  OIG recommended that the embassy, in coordination with the Bureau of African Affairs, and Bureau of Human Resources, make a determination on the disposition of the funds and consider establishing a defined contribution fund for LE Staff. 

For financial management Embassy Brazzaville, in coordination with the Global Financial Services in Charleston, needed to conduct a review of banking arrangements in the Republic of the Congo and determine whether a new depository account can be established with a local bank that will meet the needs of both the United States Disbursing Office and the employees for electronic salary payments.  There was a total of 35 informal recommendations in the OIG report to support the need for assistance from embassy Kinshasa staff. 

Highlights:

We crossed the two miles of the mighty Congo in 10 minutes to Brazzaville.  It was a 15-passenger pontoon type boat and moved real swiftly.  We had to wear life vests.  Very nice hotel, the Olympic Palace, and a lot cleaner than the Grand in Kinshasa.  Needless to say, there was not much to do in Brazzaville.  At home construction of our new custom-built home on Daniel Island was nearing completion and Doris facilitated contact with the builder to include installing all the furnishings that we sent from Bangkok.   

                                                                         

                                                                         Crossing the Mighty Congo River                                       

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Overview:

The recent history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has been one of civil war and corruption.  DR Congo is a vast country with immense economic resources and, until recently, has been at the center of what some observers call "Africa's world war", with widespread civilian suffering the result.  The war claimed an up to six million lives, either as a direct result of fighting or because of disease and malnutrition.  The war had an economic as well as a political side. Fighting was fueled by the country's vast mineral wealth, with all sides taking advantage of the anarchy to plunder natural  resources.  Some militias fight on in the east, where a large United Nations force is struggling to keep the peace. Opposition leader candidate Félix Tshisekedi became president in January 2019 after protracted political wrangling in the wake of a controversial election the previous month.   

Source: BBC Country Profile

American Embassy Kinshasa:  

The inspection took place between February 9 and 24, 2009.  I was not originally assigned to this winter cycle inspection but in mid-December DAIG Charley Silver sent me an email apologizing for the late notice but asking if I would like to join the Congo inspection team.  Charlie wanted me to confirm my When Actually Employed (WAE) status in terms of hours and salary as well as of my medical and security clearance.  WAEs can earn up to half their salary at time of retirement and 1,080 hours in a year.  In addition to Kinshasa and Brazzaville the team was inspecting Praia, Cape Verde but he didn't think I would not need to go there since Praia was a very small mission (currently 5 State  American officers).   Our team leader, Joe Sullivan, was an Africa expert having served as Ambassador to Zimbabwe and Angola.  Among his other assignments were tours in Cuba and Israel.  He was from Boston and one of two team leaders that I went to church with on an inspection. He liked Jazz and we joked about attending the North Sea jazz concert in the Netherlands.  Paul Smith, our deputy, was a MC PD officer.  He created a CD of our trip with music by a Congolese group highlighting the fight against AIDS.  Perry Adair was the management lead and also Senior Foreign Service (SFS) having served as Management Counselor in Amman and New Delhi.  He came to the Department from GAO and worked with my colleague from CGFS, Marilyn Ferdinand in Frankfurt.  I learned a lot from Perry.  He retired to Whatcom Lake near Bellingham, WA.  Ernest J. Fischer (EJ) our CONS inspector bragged that he conducted 130 inspections since joining the OIG in 1994.  Pete Stella (Security) and I served together in Rabat.  Pete received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Police Science and ended up as an RSO and was on his last active tour.  Dennis Thatcher, IT inspector, had the distinction of serving two tours in Lagos as well as Athens.  Dennis and I compared notes on cruising during our retirement.  He retired to Florida. 

U.S. Embassy Kinshasa had 333 Locally Employed (LE) Staff, most of which were local guards.  This was a bone of contention with the Office of Diplomatic Security whether or not to have LE Staff hired locally by the embassy or have a contract guard service.  Our preference was contract guards given the demands on the embassy HR office for recruiting, hiring and maintaining local guard staff.  It includes the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) located on three compounds.  The Management Officer was Craig Cloud with whom I reviewed their management controls and don't remember much about him but he must have done well in his career as he is presently the Ambassador in Botswana.  There were concerns about excessive fuel consumption and Fire and Life Safety issues.  He also mentioned an incident involving the theft of $14,000 worth of tires from the warehouse and collusion with the local guards.  where The FMO was Reginald Whatley who was on his first tour if I recall and is now in Libreville, Gabon.   He had issues of too many payments made in cash and not by EFT including staff salaries.  He had not deployed the Paper Check Conversion program for processing accommodation exchange checks.  Medical reimbursements were also made in cash.  The HRO was a long-term local hire German national, Helga Muller, who was well respected in AF.  She also provided regional support to Embassy Brazzaville.       

Findings:

Real property issues concerned Kinshasa intensifying efforts to identify a site for a new embassy. Steady mission growth since 2007 has resulted in a lack of office space, and more growth is projected. Recent plans to begin construction of a NEC have now been pushed back to 2014 because of the inability to find a suitable site.  OIG recommended sending a real estate specialist to work with post management in preparing and negotiating the transaction.  There were also urgent maintenance and repairs issues with the chancery and other buildings that required expedited funding.

In terms of staffing, it was recommended that the embassy submit an updated rightsizing report to the Office of Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation in order to identify additional International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) positions required to support the proposed staff growth in the mission.

In the area of general services post management needed to implement an accelerated plan for replacing the oldest vehicles in the motor pool fleet, as well as for expanding the fleet of not only vehicles but drivers to accommodate additional transportation requirements resulting from mission growth.   The embassy needed to hire a full-time locally employed staff member to handle all administrative tasks for managing the housing and supporting the temporary duty occupants of the office in Goma.  Goma is located in Eastern Congo on Lake Kivu near the Rwandan border.  It is not only dangerous due to the security situation but also threat of a major volcanic eruption.    The embassy had a POL officer assigned to Goma. 

There were serious problems with the administration of grants.  First off, the designated Grants Officer had a warrant of $25,000 and was breaking up grants for hundreds of thousands of $U.S. for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program into smaller amounts.   Grant files were incomplete, not closed out and funds not disbursed were not de-obligated.

The Human Resources Officer (HRO) should schedule quarterly visits for its HR specialist to Embassy Brazzaville to provide technical assistance and support.  There should be a catastrophic health insurance plan for locally employed staff.  Procedures needed to be established to ensure the timely completion of performance evaluations for the locally employed staff.   

Embassy Kinshasa participates in the revenue-generating recycling program using the funds received from approximately 6,000 students per year taking English language courses at the Congo American Language Institute (CALI). Almost $1 million in recycling funds was received in FY 2008. These funds are used to pay the salaries of 43 LE teachers and staff and to purchase required textbooks and educational materials.  The request for participating in the program for FY 2009 was pending and OIG supported the post request. 

We recommended that the embassy terminate its existing machine readable fee collection/nonimmigrant visa appointment contract and resume in house fee and appointment processing.  There was an issue with accounting for machine readable visa fees to determine if any were actually missing and, if so, attempt to recover them.  The embassy should request a waiver to the regulations to allow for the use of the suspense deposit abroad account for nonofficial U.S. Government payments. 

Highlights:

   Walking the diplomatic quarter next to the Congo river close to the hotel.

   Lunch at Al Dar Lebanese restaurant in the center of town.
   Watch out for the "shégués” youth gangs roaming around Kinshasa.
   Visiting the Bonobos.
   Crossing the Congo to Brazzaville.



Kinshasa Skyline



Perry Adair, Dennis Thatcher and me playing tennis at the Grand Hotel court 

Visit to the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve  in the Congo basin.  

Bonobos are humankind's closest relatives, along with chimpanzees, yet most people don't even know that bonobos exist! There were three separate areas with electric fence and over 50 Bonobos including eight orphans taken care of by Congo ladies.  They need love and affection when they are young.  We took a mile and a half walk over some pretty steep terrain to see them.

They live only in one country: the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bonobos were last great ape species to be discovered, and could be the first to go extinct if we do not act quickly to save them and their rainforest home. Bonobos stand apart from the other great apes in important  ways.

The Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) is dedicated to ensuring the survival of the bonobo and its tropical forest habitat in the Congo Basin. By working with indigenous Congolese people through cooperative conservation and community development programs, as well as on the national and international levels, BCI is establishing new protected areas and leading efforts to safeguard bonobos wherever they are found.



Ambassador's Residence

     

"shégués”

                                  Crossing the mighty Congo river from Kinshasa to Brazzaville

Crossing the Congo

Farmer carrying fruit to Brazzaville in a Pirogue