POSSIBLE EXECUTION OF SLA/M SOLDIERS BY AMIS TROOPS

S E C R E T KHARTOUM 000643 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SE NATSIOS AND AF/SPG, NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM KPKO SU AU SUBJECT: POSSIBLE EXECUTION OF SLA/M SOLDIERS BY AMIS TROOPS REF: IIR 6 890 0324 07 Classified By: CDA C. Hume, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) Post draws Department attention to the information report referenced above, supported by photographic evidence, which suggests that three Sudan Liberation Army Minawi (SLA/M) soldiers may have been executed by Senegalese troops in retaliation for the deaths of five of their own. The incident occurred in the aftermath of the April 1 attack on an African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) patrol. The Senegalese in AMIS, along with the Rwandans, have historically exhibited the greatest military discipline and remain well-respected to this day. While the full circumstances are yet to be known, the incident casts greater light on the dysfunctional state of AMIS. At worst, the incident points to the possibility that problems in leadership and command and control at the helm of AMIS actually extend all the way down to the unit level. ¶2. (S) Regardless of its proximate cause, the incident calls for several actions. First, AMIS soldiers must be paid in full and on-time. Doing so would remove non-payment of salaries as a potential trigger for similar violence in the future. Waiting six months on the deployment of the Heavy Support Package is not an option. Second, the U.S. should urge its allies in the EU to redeploy its military observers to Darfur immediately. U.S. and EU MilObs represent the eyes and ears of the international community and will serve as a strong deterrent to these types of incidents. Lastly, reports suggest that at least one Senegalese soldier, injured in the intial firefight, later died as a result of improper medical care. This calls for better medical training and supplies for AMIS. In addition, medevac options for AMIS troops wounded in the line of duty should be enhanced, perhaps with UN assistance. HUME