VZCZCXRO2836
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0034 0091059
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091059Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5751
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0049
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000034 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SE, AF/SPG, AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF SOCI SU
SUBJECT: POLICE RAID KHARTOUM EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL 
 
 
¶1. (U) Police raided All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum early on the 
morning of January 1, injuring six worshippers, one of them 
seriously.  Some 500 people had gathered in the cathedral -- seat of 
the Episcopal Church of Sudan Diocese of Khartoum -- late on New 
Year's Eve for an annual prayer service to mark the coming of the 
New Year.  According to eyewitnesses, approximately 100 police 
arrived outside the cathedral gates shortly after the beginning of 
the service, and called for the crowd to disperse over a 
loudspeaker.  At 12:45 am, police fired at least eight tear gas 
canisters onto the cathedral grounds.  One canister exploded inside 
the cathedral, destroying two chairs and seriously injuring one 
person.  The congregation then fled through the vestry door, 
trampling several others and damaging church office equipment in the 
process. 
 
¶2. (U) Police on the scene -- several of whom were high ranking 
officers, eyewitnesses said -- told church leaders that they were 
pursuing an armed man who had sought refuge in the cathedral, though 
church officials have openly doubted this explanation.  Many believe 
the incident is a sequel to a similar raid in April 2001, when 
worshippers had gathered at the cathedral to protest the 
government's cancellation of Easter prayer rally in central 
Khartoum.  The Deputy Governor of Khartoum State, a member of the 
Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), visited the cathedral on 
January 2 to view the damage; he told church officials the raid was 
a result of a "lack of command and control" among local police. 
 
¶3. (U) The Bishop of Khartoum, Rt. Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, issued an 
open letter to the Governor of Khartoum State on January 6, 
demanding a full investigation.  Kondo and other Episcopal Church of 
Sudan bishops also plan to meet later in the week in Juba, and will 
raise the matter with senior government officials during 
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) anniversary celebrations on 
January 9.  Kondo said he had been touched by expressions of support 
from other Anglican churches around the world, and publicly thanked 
Poloff for attending Sunday prayers at the cathedral on January 7. 
 
¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: To our knowledge, this raid marks the first time 
since the 2001 raid on the cathedral -- and more critically, the 
first time since the signing of the 2005 CPA -- that authorities in 
Sudan have disrupted a religious gathering.  While there is no 
indication that the raid was ordered by senior government officials, 
it clearly represents a setback for religious freedom in the 
country. 
 
HUME