SITREP 11: DARFUR PEACE AGREEMENT UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001263

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR D AND AF A/S FRAZER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2016
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO ABLD UN AU SU
SUBJECT: SITREP 11: DARFUR PEACE AGREEMENT UPDATE

REF: A. KHARTOUM 1253


B. KHARTOUM 1262

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


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

-- AMIS Attacked in West Darfur
-- Minawi Arrives in El Fasher
-- AMIS investigates Birmaza Attacks
- South Darfur Wali Promotes DPA
-- Military Meets on CONOPS
-- PAE Responds to Draft CONOPS
-- Post Management and Security Team Scout El Fasher

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AMIS Attacked in West Darfur
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2. (U) On May 26, an AMIS patrol returning to Masteri, West
Darfur was ambushed by armed men suspected to be SLA rebels.
The faction is unknown. One soldier was killed and two
others wounded. The following day, May 27, an unidentified
group in mixed uniforms launched an RPG attack on an AMIS
base in the same area. AMIS requested support from the SAF,
who fired three mortars in the direction of the attack, which
ended the assault. Five people, including one MILOB, were
injured and there was damage to several tents and one
vehicle. Before the attack, some unknown men had claimed to
be Sudanese police and requested entry into the camp. The
attack began shortly after they were turned away. AMIS plans
to further investigate both attacks. For more information,
please see sep IIR.


3. (U) Also in West Darfur, AMIS reports that a patrol
attempting to investigate a reported Janjaweed raid in Tiwil
two days earlier was turned away by 6 armed SAF personnel who
were also intimidating villagers.

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Minawi Arrives in El Fasher
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4. (SBU) Mini Minawi arrived in El Fasher on May 29 to speak
with officials and encourage support for the DPA in the
region. Minawi met with Nothern Darfur Governor Uthman
Mohammed Kibir and representatives from the AU, UN, and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss DPA implementation and
reaffirm his commitment to peace. He cautioned that peace
would only be possible if all parties remain fully engaged.
In related events, the governor of North Darfur released 11
SLA prisoners as part of the terms of the DPA. Special
Representative Roger Winter is also in El Fasher and met with
Minawi privately (ref B).

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AMIS investigates Birmaza Attacks
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5. (U) AMIS forces met with SLA Chief of Staff General Arkov
Sulieman in Birmaza to investigate the previous reports of
attacks on the main SLA base (reftel). Sulieman explained
that the base was attacked but his forces did not return fire
and immediately withdrew from the village to prevent civilian
casualties. He reported no deaths, but said 15 people were
abducted by the raiders, who he described as renegade SLA
commanders and Chadian rebels.


6. (U) Meanwhile, UNDSS reports that it met with SLA Special
Forces Commander Salah Bob, who assured the UN that Minawi's
SLA faction was committed to peace and respecting the
ceasefire. Bob requested immediate logistical support to
help maintain discipline in the SLA ranks. He was concerned
that, absent other support, SLA troops would break ranks and
resort to looting and hijacking to survive. AMIS already
reports renegade SLA (Minawi) soldiers hijacking a land
cruiser in Tawilla. AMIS said that it intervened with an SLA
representative and resolved the situation.

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South Darfur Wali Promotes DPA
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7. (U) The Wali of South Darfur traveled to Niteaga to raise
awareness and garner support for the peace agreement. He
explained that the Government of Sudan completely supported
the DPA and, with the help of the AU, the UN and the people
of Darfur, the conflict would end soon. The Wali also

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traveled with UNMIS, AMIS and officers from the Sudanese
Armed Forces to villages around Graida to convince Janjaweed
to peacefully lay down their arms and embrace peace.

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Military Meets on CONOPS
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8. (C) DLO representative attended a meeting on May 28 with
AMIS and the UNMIS representatives to discuss the draft AMIS
CONOPS (ref A). UNMIS is generally happy with the CONOPS,
although it was concerned that the plan seemed to have been
developed independent of logistics. After reviewing the PAE
comments on the CONOPS (below),the timeline was adjusted to
call for the first deployments at 70 days.


9. (C) During the meeting, AMIS explained that it intends to
pull out when its mandate expires on September 30, while
UNMIS said that it did not think it could move in before
January 1. AMIS also believed that it could not fulfill its
mandate under the DPA until more troops arrived. British
Defense Forces, UNMIS, and DLO representatives offered
support to help determine how to use existing assets to meet
its mission goals because deployment of additional personnel
was at least two months away. UNMIS also commented to the
DLO that it has no intention of keeping any of the current
logistics contracts under AMIS after the rehatting, and does
not believe the existing facilities meet UN standards. For a
complete report of the meeting, please refer to sep IIR.

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PAE Responds to Draft CONOPS
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10. (SBU) PAE, the logistics company contracted by the USG
to support the AMIS mission, delivered a paper responding to
the draft AMIS CONOPS (ref A). In the paper, PAE recommends
additional air assets due to the size of Darfur and the
difficulty of ground travel during the coming rainy season.
The report also stresses that water should be a major
criteria for site selection of any new camps.


11. (SBU) Based on their experience in the area, PAE
suggested adjusting the proposed timelines for deployment.
It believes that it would take a minimum of 42 days from
notice to proceed to mobilize assets, and that it would take
2 months from the notice to proceed to complete the first 6
camps to an austere standard. It would take a total of 4
months before all 15 new camps were done to the austere
standard, and 6 months before all 15 camps were fully
complete and permanent. The report also outlines a schedule
of 4-6 months for building the 39 new CIVPOL stations
required, with the first stations complete in just under 2
months. These timelines would have to be lengthened if
construction was required to meet UN standards.

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Post Management and Security Team Scout El Fasher
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12. (SBU) Acting Management Officer (A/MO),along with the
Supervisory General Services Officer (S/GSO) and the Regional
Security Officer (RSO),traveled to El Fasher to identify a
6-bedroom house for use by USG personnel supporting the DPA
in Darfur. While no houses of that size exist, the A/MO was
able to identify two 3-bedroom houses. The RSO is
investigating possible security upgrades and gathering
information for waivers, which will be required. The A/MO is
in the process of contacting the landlords to express
interest while pursuing funding and approval from the
Department. A/MO has also determined that PAE is the only
competent contractor to perform any required physical
upgrades.
STEINFELD