Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KHARTOUM507
2008-04-04 11:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Khartoum
Cable title:  

ABYEI'S MISERIYYA FEAR AND DISTRUST BOTH THE NCP

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3483
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0507/01 0951155
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 041155Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0398
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000507 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, SE WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: ABYEI'S MISERIYYA FEAR AND DISTRUST BOTH THE NCP
AND SPLM IN NORTH-SOUTH CONFLICT

REF: A. KHARTOUM 435

B. KHARTOUM 432

C. KHARTOUM 328

D. KHARTOUM 313

Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000507

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, SE WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: ABYEI'S MISERIYYA FEAR AND DISTRUST BOTH THE NCP
AND SPLM IN NORTH-SOUTH CONFLICT

REF: A. KHARTOUM 435

B. KHARTOUM 432

C. KHARTOUM 328

D. KHARTOUM 313

Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)



1. (C) Summary: The Miseriyya Arabs of Southern Kordofan and
Abyei both fear and distrust the National Congress Party
(NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the
political struggle on Abyei, worrying that they will pay the
ultimate price in a larger struggle. Seeing their way of life
as nomadic cattle herders threatened, most try to maintain an
uneasy distance from a radical or cynical minority armed and
abetted by Khartoum to wage war against the Dinka, and the
rising strength and chauvinism of some Dinka, who backed up
by an increasingly intransigent SPLA, feel their day of
redemption has come. Miseriyya leaders freely admit that the
NCP, through the action of a notorious Darfur war criminal,
is encouraging violence while simultaneously pursuing a peace
deal, but most Miseriyya seem to be resisting that siren
call. Spoiled by their relationship with Chevron in the
1980s, the Miseriyya warmly welcome American engagement and
interest, and seek US development assistance. End summary.

--------------
CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO FIRES
--------------


2. (C) Sudan's Miseriyya Arabs are one of two local
protagonists to the continuing political crisis over the
contested (and oil-rich) Abyei region of Sudan, now in its
third year since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA). Often portrayed as NCP proxies or stooges by
facile journalists parachuting into Sudan for a few days, the
Miseriyya are actually a much more complex community in
turmoil, pressured and enticed by an NCP eager to enlist them
as potential allies against the SPLA/SPLM, who support the
Miseriyya's intimate neighbors and rivals, the Ngok Dinka.
But the Miseriyya must have a working symbiotic relationship
with South Sudan if their herds are going to graze
unmolested. CDA Fernandez followed up meetings with Miseriyya

in Khartoum with intense discussions April 2-3 in Abyei town
and Muglad with other Miseriyya leaders.


3. (C) A more intimate initial meeting with 4-5 Miseriyya
sheikhs in Abyei was followed with a wider, more raucous
session in the town of Muglad with 40-50 traditional leaders,
including Amir Mukhtar Bubu Nimr of the leading Owlad Kamal
Miseriyya. The complaints, fears and aspirations were the
same in both places, with some surprising revelations:


4. (C) "We are not neighbors of the Dinka," began Kabashi
Tom, an Abyei Sheikh, "we are brothers with them. We are not
Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula. This black skin of ours is
because of intermarriage with the Dinka. " This intimate
relationship can be seen throughout both communities, even
among leaders of contending factions: the current SPLM
interim administrator for Abyei Edward Lino, an SPLA
hardliner, has an "uncle-nephew" relationship with Muhammad
Omar al-Ansari, radical Miseriyya leader of the bogus "Abyei
Liberation Front," according to both Dinka and Miseriyya.

--------------
DARFUR WAR CRIMINAL MEDDLING IN ABYEI
--------------


5. (C) Other Miseriyya choice comments: "we are oppressed. We
are being slaughtered and crushed between two fires. The NCP
and the SPLM fight it out and we pay the price."

-- "We were here first, we arrived in the 1700s and the Dinka
did not arrive until the late 19th century. All of this land
is ours, down to 40 miles south of Abyei town (which would be
the border with Northern Bahr al-Ghazal state)."

-- "We want access to water, pasture and safety, that is all.
We don't have problems with anyone, not with the SPLM or the
Dinka. We just want to be left in peace."

-- "The SPLM-controlled administration in Abyei hires only
Dinkas and is purging existing Miseriyya teachers, police and
other state employees. Here in Muglad there are Dinka
employees living safely and working in government jobs. Such
discrimination is not right." (Note: The "administrator" is
still unofficial as the GNU still has not put a temporary
administrator in place).


KHARTOUM 00000507 002 OF 003


-- "SPLM refuses to allow NGOs to work with the Miseriyya
around Abyei because they don't want to encourage us to stay"
(this seems to be at least partially true and was confirmed
by some NGO workers and UN officials).

-- "SPLA checkpoints stop Miseriyya and, when they don't kill
them, rob Miseriyya and also take any weapon they may be
carrying including the small ceremonial shoulder knives
carried by many men in Western Sudan. All outside forces
should leave this area, both SPLA from outside Abyei and SAF
units not made up of Miseriyya."

-- "Our biggest problem is poverty, ignorance,
marginalization and lack of development. Lack of development
leads to despair. Foreign NGOs favor the South over us. There
is just not enough grazing land and water and herds are too
big."

-- "Things were much better when the British were here."

-- "The Abyei protocol unfairly favors the Ngok Dinka, and
this is especially true with the biased ABC experts report.
This is a time bomb created by the American John Danforth.
The American favoritism for the SPLM against the NCP comes at
our expense in Abyei."

-- "The fault of all of this is the NCP. They are the
creators of all of our problems. We are marginalized people
like those in the South and Darfur. We never had problems
with the Dinka before the NCP took power in 1989 (NOTE: This
is not true since there were Dinka-Miseriyya clashes in the
1960s that displaced thousands). We need an interim
administration appointed immediately. If we received the 2
percent in Abyei oil revenues guaranteed to the Miseriyya in
the CPA, many of our problems would be solved."

-- "What we need is the end of Khartoum's interference here,
both the NCP and the SPLM are playing a negative role. The
NCP sent (ICC indicted war criminal and Minister of State for
Humanitarian Affairs) Ahmed Haroun here in the past months to
distribute arms and money for Miseriyya to join the Popular
Defense Forces (PDF) in order to fight the Dinka. We don't
want to fight or to have our children killed. Haroun worked
through (former South Kordofan Deputy Governor) Issa
al-Bashari to do this but this is not the Miseriyya way. We
want peace. We are a tribe, not a party or a state." (Note:
This entire statement was met with great support by most
present at the Muglad meeting. A couple stood up to
vociferously defend the PDF and the idea of war but were
shouted down).

-- "I cannot allow this insult to the PDF to go unanswered.
We have lost hundreds of dead and villages burned. It is all
the SPLM's fault. They are aggressively and illegally moving
north in violation of the CPA. Any Miseriyya found alone in
the bush is killed without mercy...we need to avenge our
children, we need to fight fire with fire, tanks with tanks,
artillery with artillery." (Note: At these words, many in the
audience began to murmur and complain. "The SPLA is using
poisoned, illegal weapons against us, they need to be
crushed" (at this point, the speaker, probably a PDF
commander himself, was booed and hissed down by the other
sheikhs and not allowed to continue. He was conspicuously
absent when the sheikhs said farewell to CDA Fernandez)."

--------------
AMERICA IS NOT AGAINST THE MISERIYYA
--------------


6. (C) Charge Fernandez's comments to Miseriyya leaders in
these various meetings was the same: there is a need for
patience, wisdom, reconciliation, for self-discipline, for
non-provocation in both word and deed. The CPA is too
important to fail. The Miseriyya should not let themselves be
exploited by outside forces to the detriment of Miseriyya
interests. The United States supports the full and immediate
implementation of the Abyei protocol - this is long overdue.
Implementing the protocol means either accepting the ABC
(Abyei Boundary Commission) report (a non-starter as it was
rejected by President Al-Bashir in 2005 and is detested by
many Miseriyya) or a compromise accepted by both the SPLM and
NCP (more likely to actually happen - eventually). The United
States has some problems and issues with the Sudanese
Government, but nothing but goodwill and intentions towards
the Miseriyya.


7. (C) Given that UN SRSG Qazi failed (because of technical
problems or travel permits) only days ago to make it to
Muglad to meet with Miseriyya tribal leaders, it was

KHARTOUM 00000507 003 OF 003


important for the United States to make that personal
connection. There is much anger among the Miseriyya. This is
made worse by provocative false rumors spreading like
wildfire in the region and the sensationalist coverage much
of the Khartoum media gives to events in Abyei. But most
Miseriyya fear and anger is still tempered by the cold light
of reason and self-interest.


8. (C) Comment: Given the slowly rising level of violence,
the NCP provocations, and recent aggressive action by SPLA
units, it is remarkable that most Miseriyya still want out
from any conflict. They seem to sense instinctively that they
will pay a heavy price in any Abyei conflict, whether it is
instigated by the SPLM or NCP. The NCP's efforts to use the
notorious Ahmed Haroun to whip up hatred and violence in Dar
Miseriyya as he did in Darfur is an outrageous action which
deserves condemnation but it seems to have mostly failed to
date (there also seem to be Ahmed Haroun "wannabes" among the
Dinka in Abyei - see septel). Clearly there is a need for
sustained American engagement with the Miseriyya - both
diplomacy and development - to encourage responsible,
moderate leadership among this key tribe in one of Sudan's
many hotspots. Fortunately, some of these influential leaders
already exist. End comment.
FERNANDEZ