VZCZCXRO2590
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1044/01 1231436
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031436Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2589
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR D, AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO PREF UN AU SU
SUBJECT:  Update on Darfur Security and Humanitarian 
Access - May 3, 2006 
 
Ref:  Khartoum 01033 and previous 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Three Save the Children - U.S. staff 
were car-jacked on May 2 near El Geneina; they were 
released unharmed in a remote area.  A suspected April 30 
ambush on SAF left at least two dead and five wounded. 
Arab militia abducted 15 individuals from Dagama, South 
Darfur.  Thousands participated in a peaceful 
demonstration in the Kalma camp for protection and 
against their perceived marginalization in the Darfur 
peace talks.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Security Update: 
 
¶A.  Three Save the Children - U.S. staff (one expat, two 
nationals) were traveling by vehicle on the outskirts of 
Ardamata IDP camp on the periphery of El Geneina on May 2 
when the vehicle was stopped in the early afternoon by 
armed individuals who proceeded to car-jack the vehicle 
with the staff still inside still.  The vehicle was 
forced to drive north of El Geneina to an area the staff 
had never seen before; the armed individuals forced the 
SC-US staff out of the vehicle in the middle of nowhere 
around 72 km from El Geneina.  The staff were forced to 
make their own way back to El Geneina by foot and donkey 
and were able to reach SC-US offices safely in El Geneina 
by nightfall.  All were reported to be in good condition. 
(Note:  This is the second example of an assault against 
aid workers in El Geneina town in broad daylight in the 
past week. End note.) 
 
 
¶B.  Report of Attack on GoS Military:  On April 30 
suspected SLA rebels attached Sudanese Armed Forces 
returning from Adilla, 108 km south of Ed Daein.  At 
least two military officers were killed and five 
seriously wounded; the wounded may be flown to Khartoum 
for further treatment. 
 
¶C.  Geraida:  The Umda of Geraida complained that on May 
1 Arab militias from Dito village abducted 15 people from 
Dagama village - 8 women, 6 men, and a baby.  He also 
alleged that the attackers took away a Land Rover.  AMIS 
will conduct a verification patrol to Dito on May 3.  The 
security situation was reported to be calm. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Humanitarian Update: 
 
¶A.  Kalma:  On May 2 at about 0945 hours the internally 
displaced persons (IDPs) at the Kalma camp organized a 
peaceful demonstration.  The demonstrators, numbering 
about 2500, were led by their sheikhs and community 
leaders.  They later converged in front of the AMIS 
Civilian Police Office, where the head sheikh, Ali 
Abdulrahman, presented a petition written in Arabic to 
Humanitarian Officer of OCHA Umeag Haj.  During a meeting 
with AMIS officers, the sheikhs stated that they had been 
sidelined in the Abuja negotiations and expressed their 
unhappiness about it.  The demonstrators dispersed 
peacefully at 1150 hours.  No incident was recorded. 
Some of the placards of the demonstrators read as 
follows: 
 
-- No, No to Rape and Genocide; 
 
-- No, No to for GoS attacking IDPs and civilians; 
 
-- Take action to save Darfur; 
 
-- We Request Red Coat to Protect Us; 
 
-- We Need Protection, We Have No Freedom; 
 
-- Yes, Yes for Our Remunerations; 
 
-- We Required International Forces to Protect Us; and 
 
-- We Need Food, Water, and Other Amenities. 
 
¶B.  El-Salaam:  On May 2, a group of new internally 
displaced persons from Geraida and Donkey Dereissa made 
up of 228 families were evacuated to the El-Salaam camp. 
HAC is providing humanitarian assistance to the new 
arrivals. 
 
¶C.  Nyala:  AMIS escorted Samaritan's Purse trucks for 
food distribution within the sector.  At Jebra, the patrol 
was stopped by about 50 Arab nomads armed with AK-47 
 
KHARTOUM 00001044  002 OF 002 
 
 
rifles.  The patrol interacted with the leader of the 
nomads, Sheikh Omar Mohammed Ali, who stated the area had 
been attacked by armed men from the Fur tribe, killing one 
person and looting 135 camels.  He accused AMIS of 
supporting the rebels, and refused them further passage 
through their area.  The team tried to convince the Arab 
nomads to no avail; they returned to the group site, 
leaving the Samaritan's Purse NGO trucks at Mershing. 
STEINFELD