D-DAY+2: DARFUR PEACE AGREEMENT UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 001185

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR D AND AF A/S FRAZER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO PREF UN AU SU
SUBJECT: D-DAY+2: DARFUR PEACE AGREEMENT UPDATE

REF: A. KHARTOUM 1164

B. KHARTOUM 1175

Classified By: Acting P/E Chief Michael Honigstein for reason: Section
1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) Summary: The following outlines current activities
and events relating to the implementation of the Darfur Peace
Agreement (DPA):

-- UNICEF Engages SLA on Child Soldiers
-- Janajaweed Attack AU Outside of Kutum
-- Darfur Outreach Continues to Yield Benefits

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UNICEF Engages SLA on Child Soldiers
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2. (C) According to UNICEF Representative Bo Viktor Nyland,
the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) will allow UNICEF to visit
military barracks to verify and register children within its
ranks. The SLA continues to deny harboring child soldiers,
although it admits that there are children at their bases.
UNICEF, he said, plans to return to Darfur in three weeks to
verify and register the children within the SLA barracks.
Nyland expects the SLA to hide some of their child soldiers
during the verification. Nyland could not confirm the
reports of 4000 children abducted from Chadian refugees camps
by Sudanese rebels, and said he could not even estimate the
actual figures.


3. (C) Nyland had also received indications that the
Janjaweed might be interested in releasing their child
soldiers, but he was not sure of the reaction from the donor
countries if UNICEF engaged the Janjaweed. The DPA calls for
all child soldiers to be released on D-Day.

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Janajaweed Attack AU Outside of Kutum
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4. (U) Janjaweed attacks in the area of Kutum continued (ref
A),with attacks on the villages of Tartura, Mumura, Fadouka,
and Masri Tunjur. There were no reports of casualties, but
most of the livestock in the area was taken. While the
houses were not burned, residents from all the villages--with
the exception of Masri Tunjur, which successfully resisted
the Janjaweed--have moved to Kutum and Al Fashir, further
swelling the numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The Janjaweed also fired upon an African Union security
patrol as its approached the Arab militia's base in Damrat
Misri. No one was injured, but the AU patrol was forced to
retreat until the quick reaction force arrived.

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Darfur Outreach Continues to Yield Benefits
--------------


5. (C) News is spreading regarding the positive meeting
between Darfur leaders and the Charge on May 16 (ref A).
Contacts in both Nyala and Al Fashir report that IDP camp
residents had heard about the meeting and the subsequent
decision to support the DPA (ref B). The contacts said that
they believed this helped contribute to a general calming in
some camps which had been the scene of earlier protests.
HUME