VZCZCXRO5436
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0745/01 1361715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151715Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0826
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000745 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON 
NSC FOR HUDSON AND PITTMAN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF EAID MOPS KPKO SU
SUBJECT: ABYEI UPDATE: FIGHTING SUBSIDES, BUT HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY 
LOOMS 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 737 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Fighting between SAF and SPLA (reftel) subsided 
on May 15 and late in the day the sides agreed to a mutual 
withdrawal.  Casualty numbers from May 13-14 fighting are unknown, 
but the town reportedly sustained heavy damage and the UN estimates 
that as many as 30,000 people (virtually the entire town) have fled 
the fighting and are now in need of emergency humanitarian 
assistance.  Late May 15, UN Regional Coordinator's Office in Abyei 
expressed concern that Misseriya tribesmen may now be massing to 
renew the fight.  CDA Fernandez and CG Juba officers weighed in on 
May 15 in Juba on the margins of the SPLM convention with SPLM Abyei 
representative Edward Lino, GNU Foreign Minister (and Ngok Dinka 
from Abyei) Deng Alor, and GOSS Minister of Presidential Affairs 
Luka Biong Deng to urge restraint from the SPLA and SSPS forces in 
the area.  FM Alor said he would raise the issue of the Misseriya 
tribesmen with GNU First Vice President Taha and GNU Minister of 
State Ahmed Haroun (who attended the SPLM convention) immediately 
before they departed for Khartoum the afternoon of May 15. End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Fighting between SAF and SPLA in Abyei town (reftel) 
subsided on May 15.  The UN reports that fighting began late May 13 
with a localized altercation at an SPLM police outpost outside of 
the town that led to the shooting death of one SAF soldier.  The 
resulting fighting between SAF and SPLA units spread throughout the 
town itself, resulting in a mass exodus of the civilian population. 
On May 15, the UNMIS Deputy Force Commander traveled to Abyei to 
attempt to resolve the dispute and end the fighting permanently.  At 
a Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee (CJMC) meeting late in the 
day, SAF and SPLA agreed to pull out of Abyei town to the north and 
south respectively. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The UN reports that, with the exception of three FAO 
employees who are stranded in the nearby town of Agok, all UN staff 
and international NGO staff now are safe in the UNMIS camp in Abyei 
or have been evacuated to Kadugli.  The international staff of two 
NGOs, GOAL International and Save the Children, who were cutoff in 
their compounds on May 14 were successfully evacuated to the UNMIS 
camp early on May 15 and at mid-day were awaiting transport by air 
to Kadugli. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The number of casualties sustained in the May 13-14 
fighting is unknown, but the town of Abyei reportedly sustained 
heavy damage, with the town's market area destroyed by fire.  The UN 
and USAID partners estimate that virtually the entire population, an 
estimated 30,000 people, abandoned the town to escape the fighting. 
Most fled toward Agok to the south, but others simply are hiding in 
the surrounding countryside. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The UN already has begun to plan a two-stage relief 
operation to assist the newly displaced population, the first being 
an emergency humanitarian response to sustain those who have fled 
their homes with food, water, and emergency shelter.  Once the 
situation calms down, the UN expects refugees to start returning to 
the town.  The UN then plans an emergency reconstruction effort to 
repair what infrastructure had existed (Abyei already was badly 
neglected, due to the failure of the government in Khartoum to 
install a permanent administration) and make the town habitable 
again. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Virtually the entire SPLM leadership, including that of 
the Abyei region, is currently in Juba attending the SPLM national 
convention.  ConGen staff report that on the opening day of the 
convention May 15, a number of speeches made reference to Abyei.  In 
his speech at the convention, SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir noted that 
there was fighting in Abyei but that he himself did not know exactly 
what was going on.  Kiir said that the SPLA is not involved in the 
fighting and it's up to the NCP and the SAF to solve it.  (Note: 
Some contacts in Juba reported that sporadic fighting in Abyei May 
15 was between SSPS and SAF, and did not involve the SPLA, but this 
has not been confirmed. End note.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Late on May 15, the Office of the UN Regional Coordinator 
contacted Post to express concern that Misseriya tribesmen from the 
north are reported to be massing to enter the fight and requested 
that the Embassy reach out to Misseriya contacts to ask them to 
refrain.  There is an ethnic Misseriya presence in Abyei town and to 
the north and it is not unlikely that they or their compatriots may 
be responding to rumors.  Post will attempt to use its contacts to 
calm the situation, but the Misseriya are far from homogenous and 
what Misseriya militias may be gathering is unclear at this point. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  The subsiding of the fighting today provides an 
opportunity to reestablish the fragile peace that existed before. 
 
KHARTOUM 00000745  002 OF 002 
 
 
However, reports that Misseriya may be massing to join in the fight 
indicate that the situation is by no means resolved and how easily 
things could slide again back into chaos.  On the margins of the 
SPLM convention, CDA Fernandez informed FM Alor, GOSS Minister of 
the Presidency Biong Deng, and SPLM Abyei representative Lino of the 
latest information from Abyei.  FM Alor said he would speak with GNU 
Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha and GNU Minister of State (and 
GNU Abyei negotiator) Ahmed Haroun immediately before they departed 
Juba for Khartoum in an effort to head off the reported Misseriya 
movements.  Our sense from these SPLM leaders in Juba is that they 
were relatively well informed of events in Abyei, but distracted 
with weightier political matters within the SPLM movement - even 
Luka Biong Deng and Deng Alor, who are from Abyei. 
 
FERNANDEZ