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 -------------- AMIS Attacked in West Darfur -------------- ¶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. -------------- Minawi Arrives in El Fasher -------------- ¶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). -------------- AMIS investigates Birmaza Attacks -------------- ¶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. -------------- South Darfur Wali Promotes DPA -------------- ¶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 KHARTOUM 00001263 002 OF 002 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. -------------- Military Meets on CONOPS -------------- ¶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. -------------- PAE Responds to Draft CONOPS -------------- ¶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. -------------- -------------- Post Management and Security Team Scout El Fasher -------------- -------------- ¶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