UN PROPOSES TO TRAIN AND EQUIP ABYEI BASED JOINT INTEGRATED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001103 DEPT FOR AF/SPG, AF/SE, INL/AAE DEPT PLEASE PASS TO AID SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: UN PROPOSES TO TRAIN AND EQUIP ABYEI BASED JOINT INTEGRATED POLICE UNITS (JIPU) REF: (A) KHARTOUM 1081 (B) KHARTOUM 1033 (C) KHARTOUM 1031 (D) KHARTOUM 1010 (E) KHARTOUM 1007 ¶1. (SBU) UNMIS Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup told poloff July 14 that the UN has proposed a Joint Integrated Police Unit (JIPU) Rapid Deployment Package (RDP) to jointly train the anticipated 1,000-troop JIPU in Abyei. He said that that the $835,000 RDP, if funded and implemented, would quickly raise the security in Abyei and surrounding areas and facilitate return of residents to Abyei. The RDP proposal - approved by Deputy Commissioner of Sudan Police Forces Police General Al-A'Del Ajab Yagob, South Sudan Police Service Inspector General of Police Lt. General Makuei Deng Majuc, and UNMIS Police Commission Kai Vittrup on July 7 - envisions the immediate provision of joint training, joint office space, communication facilities, vehicles and a common uniform for both Southern and Northern police. ¶2. (SBU) Politically the situation in Abyei is delicate, said Vittrup, and requires rapid support from the international community. Vittrup explained that soon after the signing of the June 8 Abyei Roadmap Agreement, 300 police officers from the northern Special Reserve Police (SRP) began to arrive in Abyei. SRP commander Col. Luka Deng Kual (part of the northern force but specifically chosen because he is a southerner) told the media that his forces are part of the Joint Integrated Police Unit (JIPU) stipulated in the June 8 Abeyi Roadmap's Security Arrangements clause. After initially protesting the deployment of the SRP, the GOSS announced plans to deploy its own 300-police contingent to the JIPU, using residents local to the area. ¶3. (SBU) Vittrup said that the Special Reserve Police (SRP) appear well-trained and equipped, arriving in Abyei with a solid range of police capabilities ranging from immigration control to investigative (detective) capacity. He compared this with the Southern Sudan Police Service (SSPS) who he said have limited resources to deploy a police unit equivalent to the SRP. In order to quickly restore trust and a sense of security to Abyei, Vittrup said that the UN needs to build up joint capacity so that all residents feel sufficiently secure so that they could eventually return to Abeyi. He said that the RDP is intended to quickly provide results while longer term requirements for Abyei's reconstruction - such as the rebuilding of destroyed schools, clinics and infrastructure - will obviously be addressed later once security is restored. ¶4. (SBU) Observers have expressed concern that the JIPU not repeat the mistake of the military joint counterpart where the Southern and Northern military units share only a name and location. They note that a true joint police force would be a critical first step in fostering good citizen-police relations and could allow for Misseriya and Dinka Nyok tribal group disarmament. (Comment: A priority should be the near-term establishment of police outposts along the migration routes. If these police outposts could contribute to the Misseriya's feeling that the JIPU are effective, and they treat both Southerners and Northerners fairly and adequately assure the safety of their cattle, then they would be more inclined to disarm this fall when they begin their migrations. End comment.) ¶5. (SBU) UNDP Rule of Law Coordinator Amanda Serumaga told poloff on July 20 that UNDP intends to meet with potential donors this week to seek immediate contributions to support the RDP. She stressed that for the Abyei roadmap to be successful, the international donor community needs to quickly support security needs as well as other Abyei programs and seemed cautiously optimistic that donors would quickly fund the UNMIS JIPU proposal. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The disarmament of Rizeigat during their southern travel to Bahr Al Ghazal last year is a model that might be used in Abyei, if security and confidence is restored (this is obviously far from assured). In Bahr al Ghazal, USAID sponsored conferences with Rizeigat traditional leaders, who agreed to disarm after given guarantees for the protection of their cattle. A similar model for interaction with the Misseriya could be supported (ref C). Post will encourage UNDP and UNMIS police efforts to develop the establishment of early warning posts along migration routes to mitigate conflict in these remote locations. While not a final solution to the problems of Abyei (we note that there has been no progress on the naming of a joint administration while the GNU regime is embroiled in the ICC crisis) the UN proposed joint police training, endorsed by both Northern and Southern police commanders, offers an opportunity to diminish possible tensions in this volatile area. KHARTOUM 00001103 002 OF 002 FERNANDEZ