MUTRIFF DENIES GOS INVOLVEMENT IN KALMA CAMP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001661 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AS A/S FRAZER, AF S/E NATSIOS, AND AF/SPG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR AU UN SU SUBJECT: MUTRIFF DENIES GOS INVOLVEMENT IN KALMA CAMP FORCED RELOCATION Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and ( d) ¶1. (C) Summary. October 25, CDA Fernandez met with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Mutriff Siddiq. Siddiq categorically denied that the GOS has a policy of forced relocation at the Kalma IDP camp and suggested measures to improve international community confidence in the GOS role at the camp, said that Special Envoy Natsios would be granted Sudanese visas in Tripoli, and accepted a U.S. proposal to announce GOS positive action in transporting Rwandan troops into Darfur. He complained about SPLM violations of the spirit and letter of the CPA. End summary. SIDDIQ DENIES GOS ROLE IN FORCIBLE RELOCATIONS AT KALMA CAMPS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) CDA Fernandez told Siddiq that there were allegations that the Government of Sudan (GOS) is seen as forcibly relocating internally displaced people (IDP) at the Kalma camp to other sites. CDA Fernandez said that some in the international and NGO community believe that this is GOS policy. Siddiq flatly said, "To my knowledge, we have no such policy." He noted that similar unfounded allegations were made when Zam Zam camp was established in North Darfur but eventually the international community realized that there were no hidden negative intentions by the government. Siddiq said that were the government wanted to act to forcibly relocate IDPs, they would have done so after the deaths of four policemen earlier this year, adding that the recent problems resulted from inter-tribal conflict between Zaghawa tribe members belonging to the SLM-Minawi faction and other groups. He offered to arrange a meeting between the international community and the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) to discuss the issue. ¶3. (C) Siddiq said that would be good to have meeting with the U.S. and talk freely about the problems with the camps. The current problems are not caused by the Khartoum government. He added that the GOS has raised concerns before: the camps are too big and the people are polarized against each other, and had taken positive action with international community objections. He emphasized, "Sudan does not have the capacity to solve the problems of the camp ourselves; we need outside assistance." CDA Fernandez said that if IDPs are forcibly relocated then the U.S., as the largest supporter of the camps, would be unable to fund any remediation efforts. He added that such moves would be disastrous just at the time that the GOS is seen as making some progress in UNSCR 1769 implementation. NATSIOS VISIT -------------- ¶4. (C) Asked about visas for the October 30 to November 4 visit by Special Envoy Natsios, Siddiq said, "We instructed our embassies to grant him a visa wherever he is." CDA told Siddiq that Natsios is coming to Sudan to talk mostly about Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) issues and not Darfur. Siddiq looked forward to seeing Natsios in Libya. ¶5. (C) He added that Sudan appreciated U.S. concerns for the CPA. Some in the regime thought that the U.S., in the form of the former USAID officials Roger Winter and Brian DeSilva, was behind the current crisis but he did not. CDA answered that Winter and DeSilva have a relationship with the SPLM but don't speak for the U.S., and noted that Sudan has a former Republican Congressman (Mark Siljander) on their payroll as a lobbyist. These former USAID officials are no different, except they are unpaid. Siddiq noted that these individuals' presence in Juba in itself a violation of the CPA since they didn't get visas. "But we don't complain publicly every time the south does something wrong because the elder brother should be kind to the younger brother." There were many issues involving sovereignty where the GOSS was bending or breaking the law. CDA UPDATES SIDDIQ ON RWANDAN TROOP DEPLOYMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) CDA briefed Siddiq on the progress of the USAF transporting Rwandan troops into El-Fasher. CDA said that the larger than anticipated number of flights resulted from the Rwandan insistence that the U.S. fly out the currently KHARTOUM 00001661 002 OF 002 deployed Rwandan troops before transporting in the Rwandan replacements and the additional unit. CDA added that the deployment would be completed in four to five days and told Siddiq that the U.S. planned to publicly credit the GOS for their role in the AU/UN troop deployment. ¶7. (C) In response to CDA raising a flight support issue involving U.S. ground support personnel, Siddiq assured CDA that GOS airport personnel would permit USG employees supporting the C-17 arrivals and departures would have access to the airport facilities and aircraft. ¶8. (C) Comment: Sudan's acceptance of 20 USAF flights into Darfur is indeed a very tangible expression of their commitment to UNSCR 1769. By next week, there will be an additional 800 Rwandan peacekeepers, with armored vehicles, on the ground. this is helpful and Sudan's role should be acknowledged but with almost 20,000 more peacekeepers to go, they will have to continue to show their compliance by active cooperation. FERNANDEZ