ABYEI DEMARCATION COMMITTEE DELAYED, SEEKS INTERVENTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001174 NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PBTS PINS KPKO AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: ABYEI DEMARCATION COMMITTEE DELAYED, SEEKS INTERVENTION REF: A) KHARTOUM 1135 C) KHARTOUM 1067 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In an October 9 letter to Riek Machar (SPLM),Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS),three members of the Abyei Boundary Demarcation Committee state that the committee is seriously hampered by political interference, security concerns, and lack of equipment. The three committee members, all members of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM),allege that the problems facing the committee are rooted in the fact that the National Congress Party (NCP) is not interested in demarcation of the Abyei boundary, and intends to use the committee as a scapegoat when demarcation fails. Whether the problems faced by the demarcation team are intentional or unintentional, it is clear that the demarcation team is sitting in Abyei town unable to do its work. End Summary. -------------- LETTER DECRIES OVERSITE OF COMMITTEE BY NCP -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In an October 9 letter to Machar in his capacity as Vice President of the GoSS, Kwol Biong, Valentino Malueth, and Ring Kuol Arop, the three SPLM members of the six person Abyei Boundary Demarcation Committee claim that demarcation is being intentional hampered by the Presidency of the Government of Sudan (GoS). In particular the letter decries the lack of an oversight committee as called for by the Points of Agreement executed by the NCP and SPLM on August 19, and the imposition of Sami Bushara (NCP),as administrative secretary on the committee. The letter states that, without the consent of the SPLM, Bushara has been given responsibility for coordinating administrative and security issues with the presidency and with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) deployed along the proposed Abyei boundary, and that Bushara, at the behest of the presidency, has carried out his duties in a manner calculated to frustrate the team and leave it vulnerable to security threats. -------------- DEMARCATION TEAM THREATENED AND HAMSTRUNG -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The letter claims that the demarcation team faces serious security issues. The most serious allegation is that on the evening of September 29, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) based in Heglig threatened with heavy machine guns the Joint Integrated Unit (JIU) guarding the demarcation team, forcing the JIU to return to its base in Abyei town, leaving the demarcation team without protection. [Note: Post has been unable to confirm this report; however, Khartoum media reported on October 6, that SAF forces ordered the September 28 withdrawal of the JIU tasked with providing security for the demarcation team. End Note.] The letter also states that local Misseriya have begun threatening the demarcation team (Ref A), and that this threat is compounded by the fact that the SAF component of the Abyei JIU is composed of Misseriya. The committee members wrote that they feared the Misseriya JIU members are coordinating with armed Misseriya tribesmen in the area and that in the event of an attack on the demarcation team, the Misseriya JIU members will side with the attacking forces. [Note: In an October 16 conversation with David Raikow, Political Officer for the United Nation Mission in Sudan, Raikow confirmed that the SAF component of the Abyei JIU is primarily composed of Misseriya, poorly-trained, and in his view, liable to react in any number of ways if attacked by Misseriya. End Note.] ¶4. (SBU) Beyond security, the letter alleged a number of ways in which the committee has been hamstrung. For example, the team has not been provided with any kind of digging machinery to install the pillars and posts that will demarcate the boundary (Ref B). The letter also stated that Mr. Bushara willfully withheld the committee's proposed budget from the presidency, and that the vehicles needed to start the work arrived a week late. -------------- DEMARCATION ON HOLD -------------- ¶5. (SBU) On October 13, Poloff spoke by phone with Kwol Biong (SPLM),Deputy Chairman of the Abyei Boundary Demarcation Committee. Biong said the demarcation team has been delayed in Abyei town since October 3. Biong said that the commanders of the Abyei JIU, which was tasked with providing the demarcation team with security, had told the demarcation committee that the JIU cannot do so because the JIU is not capable of dealing with the threat posed by the Misseriya. Biong also stated that the JIU commanders have told the committee that the JIU must communicate with their commanders in Khartoum prior to any patrols near the proposed Abyei boundary. Biong also stated that he called Machar on October 9 to ask his KHARTOUM 00001174 002 OF 002 assistance in getting work restarted. As of October 13 no physical demarcation had been accomplished. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The demarcation of the Abyei boundary, the coordinates of which have already been accepted by both parties, is a perfect example of how a relatively straightforward, technical task can become a political battle in Sudan's current environment. The committee's letter raises serious allegations against the NCP and SAF to the highest levels of the GoSS. Whether the problems faced by the demarcation team are intentional or not, it is clear that the demarcation team is sitting in Abyei town unable to do its work. Moreover, despite having agreed, as part of the trilateral process led by the Special Envoy, to disseminate the decision of the PCA to the affected communities, including through meetings with the traditional leadership, this has not occurred. Ideally, the parties will quickly find a way to move forward with demarcation, as the Misseriya have already begun their southern migration toward Abyei, earlier than in previous years. At the same time, some elements of the Misseriya have already clearly expressed their opposition to Abyei's demarcation. Given the political sensitivity of Abyei to the northern and southern governments, and their constituents, the Misseriya and Dinka Ngok, respectively, demarcation could become a catalyst to broader conflict. WHITEHEAD