Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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06KHARTOUM942 | 2006-04-19 09:11:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Khartoum |
VZCZCXRO7439 RR RUEHROV DE RUEHKH #0942/01 1090911 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 190911Z APR 06 FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2409 INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000942 |
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The SPLA force commander in Pochalla told a WFP security officer that an unknown militia group attacked a small village between Akobo and Pochalla on the Ethiopian border on April 12. According to the commander, the group looted and occupied the village for three days and then began moving towards Pochalla. During this time, women and children in Pochalla fled into the bush for safety. By April 15, the militia group had reportedly returned to Ethiopia before reaching the town, the women and children had returned, and the situation was calm. While the SPLA commander in Pochalla believes the Ethiopian army orchestrated the attack, an SPLA spokesperson said that the Ethiopian army had not been given permission to cross the border and that the Ethiopian army remained in place, 17 km into Ethiopia. The UN security level for the area remains Phase 3 level 4, but WFP security believes it will drop to level 2 or 3 after an UNMIS team returns from its investigation on April 17. End Summary. -------------------------- Cross-Border Ethnic Tensions -------------------------- 2. (U) The area around Pochalla is dominated by ethnic Anuaks, many of whom fled a massacre in Gambella in 2003. While these people are technically refugees, they do not live in camps and are fully integrated into the communities in Sudan. The Anuak population moves freely, and frequently, between Ethiopia and Sudan. 3. (SBU) The residents in Pochalla, including the Anuak SPLA commander, told the WFP security officer that the attackers, although not in uniform, were Ethiopian soldiers attempting to forcibly repatriate the Anuaks to Ethiopia. The WFP security officer was unable to confirm the identity or origin of the attackers. A WHO employee who was in Pochalla through April 14 also said that the women and children had fled Pochalla and subsequently returned. Total casualties are unknown; in addition to the village they occupied, the militia reportedly looted other villages in their path during their foray and retreat. -------------------------- SPLA Says Sit Tight -------------------------- 4. (SBU) The Pochalla SPLA commander told the WFP that he had requested permission from SPLA command to attack the militia group when it occupied the village north of Pochalla, but was told to stand down for fear of escalating the situation. According to an SPLA spokesperson, there have been some tensions between the SPLA and the Ethiopian army because the Ethiopians suspect an Anuak SPLA officer in the area of being involved with rebel activities in Ethiopia. -------------------------- Conclusion and Comment -------------------------- 5. (SBU) Early reports described a coordinated effort between the Ethiopian Army and the SPLA to enter Sudan. The SPLA and the Ethiopian army have been collaborating on disarming refugee militias, but the SPLA is disarming the Anuaks in Sudan, while the Ethiopians disarm Nuer in their country. An SPLA spokesperson denies giving permission for this attack or for any incursion by the Ethiopian Army into Sudan. Reports of border closings have also been disputed by both the SPLA and sources on the ground. 6. (SBU) The identity of the raiding force remains unclear, as does the reason it turned back before reaching Pochalla. There are unconfirmed reports that the GoSS and the governor of Jonglei secretly brokered a deal with the Ethiopian government to stop the attack. GoSS contacts have been unavailable over the Easter holiday. It is possible that the force feared the response of the Anuak militia and SPLA defense forces in Pochalla, and had only planned to loot the more vulnerable outer settlements. 7. (SBU) The SPLA commander in Pochalla told the WFP that he was very disappointed with the weak response from the SPLA command. However, considering the SPLA commander's conviction that the Ethiopian army was behind the attacks, the SPLA may have simply feared the commander would use these raids as an excuse to attack the Ethiopian army position just across the border. KHARTOUM 00000942 002 OF 002 STEINFELD |