VZCZCXRO0559
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0588 0661038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071038Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1762
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000588 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MOPS SOCI SU
SUBJECT: CG Juba Roundup - March 6 
 
REF: Khartoum 00513 
 
¶1. (U) Disease Spreads:  While the cholera epidemic seems 
to have peaked in Juba on February 19th, and run its 
course in Yei, it continues to spread to other parts of 
the south up the Nile river.  Cases have been reported in 
Pibor, Bor, Torit, Numile, Terekeka, and Lafon.  The 
Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) continues to call it 
watery diarrhea, despite the fact that it has been 
confirmed as a single strain of cholera.  Over 100 cases 
of hepatitis A have also been identified in Malakal, 
along with one case of yellow fever.  Organizations from 
USAID to Medecins Sans Frontiers have deployed throughout 
the region to help address these growing health risks. 
 
¶2. (U) Sanitation Day:  To respond to the spread of 
disease in Juba, all government offices and most markets 
and private businesses were closed on Friday, March 3, 
for a mandatory day of cleaning.  The smoke from the 
burning garbage was so thick by late morning that 
visibility was limited throughout the city.  While Juba 
was noticeably cleaner at the end of the day, children 
could still be seen playing by the garbage piles in the 
old cemetery and relieving themselves by the side of the 
road. 
 
¶3. (SBU) GoSS Lending a Hand:  Dr. Justin Yac Arop, 
Minister for Cabinet Affairs, gave USD 1 million to 
Kenyan President Kibaki to help alleviate starvation. 
The gift was a gesture of friendship and a thank you for 
the support given to the south throughout their civil 
war, which included leading the peace negotiations and 
allowing the SPLM to use Nairobi as a de facto 
headquarters for their international efforts.  Several 
Southern Sudanese have privately told CG Juba officials 
that many southerners do not understand how the GoSS can 
give such a large gift when it cannot even pay its own 
workers, build its cities, or feed its citizens.  For its 
part, the GoSS no longer claims it has no money, only 
that logistical and other technical barriers are 
currently slowing it down. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Trying to Please Everyone:  CG Juba officials 
have also heard complaints about the new SPLM leadership 
list put out by Salva Kiir (reftel).  Kiir greatly 
expanded the list of leadership positions in an effort to 
please all factions.  However, this effort to please 
everyone may end up pleasing no one, as no group came out 
a clear winner and can point to disappointments in the 
rankings. 
 
¶5. (U) High Profile Religious Visits:  Southern Sudan has 
recently hosted two high-ranking church visits, one by 
the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams 
and the other by Catholic Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe from 
Rome.  Both religious leaders met with GoSS President 
Salva Kiir, toured several southern cities, and spoke on 
the need to support the peace, contribute to humanitarian 
relief, and encourage the development and growth of 
Christianity in the South. 
 
WHITEHEAD