MISSERIYA BUILDING PERMANENT STRUCTURES IN ABYEI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000160 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KPKO MOPS SMIG SU SUBJECT: MISSERIYA BUILDING PERMANENT STRUCTURES IN ABYEI REF: 10 KHARTOUM 54; 10 KHARTOUM 34 ¶1. (SBU) In a conversation with Poloff on January 26, Mark Rutgers, United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Head of Office for Sector VI (Abyei),stated that members of the Misseriya tribe are constructing large permanent structures in five separate locations in the Abyei area without required permits from the local administration. Further, Charles Abyei (SPLM),Speaker of the Abyei Legislative Council, told Poloff on January 27, that Misseriya leaders have announced plans to construct 40 permanent modern villages in Abyei, that the government has provided support for this initiative, and that the intention was to enable the Misseriya to participate in the Abyei referendum in January, 2011. Meanwhile, as the Misseriya continue to shift east into Unity State in search of pastureland, they encounter Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) forces intent on disarming them, resulting in the second shootout this month between Misseriya nomads and the SPLA. The latest developments in Abyei could hardly be more negative, but perhaps attendees of the recently scheduled Border Governors' Forum in early February can develop a concerted approach to this festering crisis. -------------- Abyei Building Boom -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a conversation with Poloff on January 26, Mark Rutgers, UNMIS Head of Office for Sector VI (Abyei),stated that members of the Misseriya tribe have received building materials and are constructing buildings in five separate locations in the Abyei area. The buildings are reportedly large structures, and the Misseriya have told UNMIS patrols that they are building schools and medical clinics. (Note: Northern areas of the Abyei Special Administrative District typically contain numerous temporary villages during the dry season, consisting of temporary structures and nomadic camps. These recent building activities are unusual because they consist of large public facilities built with bricks. End Note.) The origin of the materials in unknown, but Rutgers confirms that they were not received from the Abyei Administration. Further, the construction activities were not coordinated with the Abyei Administration and no building permits were received. Deng Arop Kuol (SPLM),the newly appointed Abyei Administrator (Ref A),
is currently in Juba, and Rutgers expects that any response to the illegal construction activities will await Kuol's arrival. ¶3. (SBU) On January 27, Poloff spoke to Charles Abyei, Speaker of the Abyei Legislative Council, who said that the Misseriya have recently held two public rallies in the Abyei area. Abyei stated that at the first rally Misseriya leaders announced a plan to construct 40 permanent modern villages in Abyei, that the government has provided support for this initiative, and that the intention was to enable the Misseriya to participate in the Abyei referendum in January, 2011. (Note: According to the recently passed Abyei Referendum Law, in order to participate in the Abyei referendum an individual must either be a Ngok Dinka, or a "resident of Abyei." The law leaves it to a yet-to-be-formed Abyei Referendum Commission to define who is a "resident of Abyei," but the definition is likely to require some evidence of permanent residence. End Note.) Abyei told Poloff that at the second rally, Misseriya leaders spoke of mobilizing Misseriya resistance to any forces that attempt to stop these building initiatives. Abyei also noted that current building sites are not only in northern Abyei, where the Misseriya typically settle during the dry season, but dispersed throughout the Abyei Special Administrative District. -------------- Another Shoot-out in Unity State -------------- ¶4. (SBU) On January 26, UNMIS reported a fire-fight between Misseriya tribes people and SPLA soldiers in Unity State resulting in one SPLA soldier and two Misseriya killed. The direct cause of the shoot-out is unknown, but the SPLA is attempting to enforce a no-arms policy in Southern Sudan and requiring Misseriya herders to disarm upon entering the south, which the Misseriya are reluctant to do. This is the second shoot-out between SPLA solders and Misseriya in Unity State in January (Ref B). -------------- Border Governors' Forum Scheduled -------------- KHARTOUM 00000160 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) On January 24, Aidoff met with Ahmed Haroun (NCP), Governor of Southern Kordofan state, who mentioned that he has scheduled the long anticipated Governors' Forum for the Border States for February 2-3. (Note: The Forum for the Border States is an opportunity for the Governors of all ten Sudanese states that share the 1956 north/south border, as well as the Abyei Administrator, to discuss border issues. End Note.) Haroun declined offered assistance with the forum and has not invited international participation. The agenda of the forum is not available but it is likely that migration issues will be discussed in some form. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The latest developments in Abyei could hardly be more negative. It appears that the Misseriya are attempting to numerically flood the Abyei area in the lead-up to the referendum in order to win Abyei for northern Sudan. Any attempt to rig the Abyei referendum by filling it with Misseriya will be seen by the Ngok Dinka as an existential threat. The Ngok Dinka consider Abyei their homeland, and recognize that their existence there will be extremely tenuous if, as a result of the January 2011 referenda, they are cut off from the south and left to the civil and military oversight of the north. Senior SPLM figures will likewise consider such a move extremely provocative. The Abyei Administrator is also obligated to respond in some fashion to these unauthorized construction activities coming as a direct challenge to the authority of his new administration. With the Misseriya preparing for confrontation and the Abyei Administration obligated to respond, the potential for violence is high. ¶7. (SBU) Comment Continued: Ironically, these moves by the Misseriya may ultimately hurt Misseriya interests irreparably. While the Misseriya are rightfully concerned about the future of Abyei and SPLA control of this region, the existential issue for the Misseriya is not residency, but grazing rights, both in Abyei and beyond into Southern Sudan. If the Misseriya anger the Dinka and the SPLM enough, they could find themselves after January, 2011 with the hard border that they fear, permanently losing the ability to graze their cattle in Southern Sudan which is necessary for the survival of their herds. The best solution for Abyei is probably a deal in which the Misseriya agree not to contest the Abyei referendum in return for which the SPLM agree in writing to respect the grazing rights of the Misseriya in perpetuity, spell out the parameters of these rights, and perhaps even put a clause in their constitution stating as much. The latest events take the parties another large step away from this result. End Comment. WHITEHEAD