Update on Darfur Security and Humanitarian

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001104

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR D, AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/EA AND DCHA SUDAN GROUP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO PREF UN AU SU
SUBJECT: Update on Darfur Security and Humanitarian
Access - May 10, 2006

Ref: A. Khartoum 01094, B. Khartoum 01098 and previous


1. Summary: The AU reports that its patrols saw jet
fighters near the border with Chad, including the
apparent use of ordnance. Arab militias attacked Labado,
killing 10 and injuring scores more. The AU and USAID
also obtained further details on the May 8 incidents at
the Kalma and Zalingei IDP camps. On May 9, the South
Darfur Wali urged NGOs and international organization
representatives to prepare for the return of IDPs from
camps to their homes and address tribal rivalries through
conflict resolution activities as a part of Darfur Peace
Agreement implementation. End summary.


2. Security Update:


A. On May 8, MGS El Geneina conducted a confidence
building patrol to Jak Jake village. The team observed
two military jet fighters (of unknown origin) flying near
the border town of Adre. One of the fighters was seen
dropping ordnance. The population of the village is
about 250 families and 100 Chadian refugees. The
security situation was reported to be calm.


B. On May 8, MGS Labado reported that Arab militia
attacked Labado, 60 km east of Nyala. About 1500 locals
of Labado village fled to the team site with their
animals for protection. The team site confirmed 35
civilians were injured, 6 of them were in critical
condition. 10 others apparently died in the attack. The
seriously injured were evacuated to Muhajeria MSF clinic.


C. Further Details on Kalma IDP Camp Riot: On May 8,
the following took place between the hours of 9:00 -
11:00 a.m.:

-- UN U/S General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland
and his delegation visited Kalma camp; large crowds
gathered to witness the visit.

-- An OXFAM translator interpreting a conversation
between OXFAM staff and IDPs in Kalma made a statement
that appears to have been misinterpreted by the crowd and
created some degree of hostility towards the translator.

-- They started to pursue the OXFAM translator after the
meeting. The OXFAM translator ran from the crowd and
sought shelter in a nearby vehicle carrying CNN
journalists and their crew. The crowd began to smash the
windows of the CNN vehicle trying to get the OXFAM
translator. The CNN vehicle sped off as the attack
intensified and made its way to Nyala.

-- The mob moved to the African Union Civilian Police
Station. Elements of the AU CIVPOL tried to calm the
crowd down. The mob then attacked the station with
stones, sticks, spears, small axes, knives, and other
implements. After resisting the attack over an hour, the
mob finally broke into the office container, dragged out
the Language Assistant, and beat him to death. Eight
Civpol officers received various degrees of injuries, two
remain under treatment at the AU clinic, while six were
treated and discharged.

-- The AU civilian police called for help. 30 minutes
later some AU armored personnel carriers arrived to
rescue the remaining AU staff. The crowd dispersed, but
not before looting the AU compound and destroying what
remained. Two Civpol vehicles - a Toyota Land Cruiser
and a Toyota pick-up - were vandalized, while the
container office was stripped bare.

-- During the melee rioters stoned some UN vehicles at
Kalma camp, smashing windows. No UN staff were reported
to be injured. Egeland ordered the chief of OCHA/Sudan
to remain behind in Nyala to develop a strategy and
action to deal with the day's violence.

-- NGO representatives have expressed concern that the
Sudanese Government may use this disturbance to reinsert
military and police in Kalma camp to restore order.
Rather than restoring order, they believe this could lead
to greater unrest and violence due to the animosity
exhibited by the IDPs towards the GOS police and
military, which the UN and NGOs desperately want to
avoid. The UN and NGOs are working on a plan to increase
security in Kalma camp in such a way that both the IDPs
and the Government feel their needs for security in the
camp are met.

KHARTOUM 00001104 002 OF 002




D. Further Details on Zalingei Riots: On May 8, at
about 11:45 a.m., roughly one thousand IDPs from the
nearby Hamadiya IDP camp demonstrated outside the AMIS
base. They became violent and burned down some
structures belonging to the Sudanese near the GOS check
point. The GOS police nearby responded by shooting at
them; two youths, aged 14 and 16, were shot. Both
subsequently died while undergoing treatment at the AMIS
clinic.


3. Humanitarian Access Update:

Readout of South Darfur Wali's Meeting - On May 9, the
Wali of South Darfur called an ad hoc meeting with the
directors of U.N. agencies and NGOs operating in South
Darfur to discuss the recently signed Darfur Peace
Agreement and formulate a plan of action for its
implementation. (Note: Local AMIS representatives were
not invited to this meeting. End note.) The Wali noted
that the implementation plan would include security and
humanitarian arrangements, and should focus on returning
IDPs to their places of origin in a very short time
frame. The Wali also stated that most violence in Darfur
is rooted in ethnic conflict, and that reconciliation
would need to take place at the tribal level for the
agreement to succeed. Looking forward, he called for the
humanitarian community to focus initial efforts on
voluntary IDP returns from camps and stressed the need to
negotiate with all tribes to secure peace at all levels
of society. Finally, he cautioned the audience of the
need to differentiate between militia and jinjaweed
groups by being very clear in the use of terminology used
to describe these populations. The international
humanitarian community in Nyala is developing a response
to this challenge from the Wali.

HUME