VZCZCXRO9718
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1104/01 1301208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101208Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2703
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR D, AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/EA AND DCHA SUDAN GROUP 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO PREF UN AU SU
SUBJECT:  Update on Darfur Security and Humanitarian 
Access - May 10, 2006 
 
Ref:  A. Khartoum 01094, B. Khartoum 01098 and previous 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The AU reports that its patrols saw jet 
fighters near the border with Chad, including the 
apparent use of ordnance.  Arab militias attacked Labado, 
killing 10 and injuring scores more.  The AU and USAID 
also obtained further details on the May 8 incidents at 
the Kalma and Zalingei IDP camps.  On May 9, the South 
Darfur Wali urged NGOs and international organization 
representatives to prepare for the return of IDPs from 
camps to their homes and address tribal rivalries through 
conflict resolution activities as a part of Darfur Peace 
Agreement implementation.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  Security Update: 
 
¶A.  On May 8, MGS El Geneina conducted a confidence 
building patrol to Jak Jake village.  The team observed 
two military jet fighters (of unknown origin) flying near 
the border town of Adre.  One of the fighters was seen 
dropping ordnance.  The population of the village is 
about 250 families and 100 Chadian refugees.  The 
security situation was reported to be calm. 
 
¶B.  On May 8, MGS Labado reported that Arab militia 
attacked Labado, 60 km east of Nyala.  About 1500 locals 
of Labado village fled to the team site with their 
animals for protection.  The team site confirmed 35 
civilians were injured, 6 of them were in critical 
condition.  10 others apparently died in the attack.  The 
seriously injured were evacuated to Muhajeria MSF clinic. 
 
¶C.  Further Details on Kalma IDP Camp Riot:  On May 8, 
the following took place between the hours of 9:00 - 
11:00 a.m.: 
 
-- UN U/S General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland 
and his delegation visited Kalma camp; large crowds 
gathered to witness the visit. 
 
-- An OXFAM translator interpreting a conversation 
between OXFAM staff and IDPs in Kalma made a statement 
that appears to have been misinterpreted by the crowd and 
created some degree of hostility towards the translator. 
 
-- They started to pursue the OXFAM translator after the 
meeting.  The OXFAM translator ran from the crowd and 
sought shelter in a nearby vehicle carrying CNN 
journalists and their crew.  The crowd began to smash the 
windows of the CNN vehicle trying to get the OXFAM 
translator.  The CNN vehicle sped off as the attack 
intensified and made its way to Nyala. 
 
-- The mob moved to the African Union Civilian Police 
Station.  Elements of the AU CIVPOL tried to calm the 
crowd down.  The mob then attacked the station with 
stones, sticks, spears, small axes, knives, and other 
implements.  After resisting the attack over an hour, the 
mob finally broke into the office container, dragged out 
the Language Assistant, and beat him to death.  Eight 
Civpol officers received various degrees of injuries, two 
remain under treatment at the AU clinic, while six were 
treated and discharged. 
 
-- The AU civilian police called for help.  30 minutes 
later some AU armored personnel carriers arrived to 
rescue the remaining AU staff.  The crowd dispersed, but 
not before looting the AU compound and destroying what 
remained.  Two Civpol vehicles - a Toyota Land Cruiser 
and a Toyota pick-up - were vandalized, while the 
container office was stripped bare. 
 
-- During the melee rioters stoned some UN vehicles at 
Kalma camp, smashing windows.  No UN staff were reported 
to be injured.  Egeland ordered the chief of OCHA/Sudan 
to remain behind in Nyala to develop a strategy and 
action to deal with the day's violence. 
 
-- NGO representatives have expressed concern that the 
Sudanese Government may use this disturbance to reinsert 
military and police in Kalma camp to restore order. 
Rather than restoring order, they believe this could lead 
to greater unrest and violence due to the animosity 
exhibited by the IDPs towards the GOS police and 
military, which the UN and NGOs desperately want to 
avoid.  The UN and NGOs are working on a plan to increase 
security in Kalma camp in such a way that both the IDPs 
and the Government feel their needs for security in the 
camp are met. 
 
KHARTOUM 00001104  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶D.  Further Details on Zalingei Riots:  On May 8, at 
about 11:45 a.m., roughly one thousand IDPs from the 
nearby Hamadiya IDP camp demonstrated outside the AMIS 
base.  They became violent and burned down some 
structures belonging to the Sudanese near the GOS check 
point.  The GOS police nearby responded by shooting at 
them; two youths, aged 14 and 16, were shot.  Both 
subsequently died while undergoing treatment at the AMIS 
clinic. 
 
¶3.  Humanitarian Access Update: 
 
Readout of South Darfur Wali's Meeting - On May 9, the 
Wali of South Darfur called an ad hoc meeting with the 
directors of U.N. agencies and NGOs operating in South 
Darfur to discuss the recently signed Darfur Peace 
Agreement and formulate a plan of action for its 
implementation.  (Note:  Local AMIS representatives were 
not invited to this meeting.  End note.)   The Wali noted 
that the implementation plan would include security and 
humanitarian arrangements, and should focus on returning 
IDPs to their places of origin in a very short time 
frame.  The Wali also stated that most violence in Darfur 
is rooted in ethnic conflict, and that reconciliation 
would need to take place at the tribal level for the 
agreement to succeed.  Looking forward, he called for the 
humanitarian community to focus initial efforts on 
voluntary IDP returns from camps and stressed the need to 
negotiate with all tribes to secure peace at all levels 
of society.  Finally, he cautioned the audience of the 
need to differentiate between militia and jinjaweed 
groups by being very clear in the use of terminology used 
to describe these populations.  The international 
humanitarian community in Nyala is developing a response 
to this challenge from the Wali. 
 
HUME