VZCZCXRO7894
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1289/01 2381242
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251242Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1706
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0109
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0295
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0115
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0278

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001289 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, PRM, AF SE WILLIAMSON 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, BPITTMAN, CHUDSON 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SP, USAID/W DCHA SUDAN 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NEW YORK FOR FSHANKS 
BRUSSELS FOR JADDLETON 
USMISSION UN ROME FOR RNEWBERG 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI UN SU
SUBJECT: FIGHTING IN KALMA CAMP, SOUTH DARFUR 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 1274 
 
KHARTOUM 00001289  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) On August 25, USAID staff received reports of fighting and 
casualties in Kalma internally displaced person (IDP) camp, South 
Darfur.  As of 1100 hours, implementing partners and the UN-African 
Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reported ongoing fighting, 
fires, and undetermined casualties and deaths. To date, UNAMID and 
local leaders have provided contradictory accounts of the events and 
lead up to the fighting.  Post continues to monitor the situation 
and will provide updates as more information is available. 
 
------------------------------ 
THE CURRENT SITUATION IN KALMA 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) According to UNAMID, early on August 25, government forces 
in 30 vehicles surrounded Kalma camp in preparation for a weapons 
search and seizure of the camp area.  During the impending weapons 
raid, resident IDPs resisted, and the government forces reportedly 
began firing randomly on the camp residents.  As of 1130 hours, 
UNAMID indicated that fighting was ongoing and there were an 
undetermined number of casualties.  UNAMID has scheduled an August 
26 meeting with the South Darfur Wali (governor) to discuss the 
situation and the latest fighting, which is a violation of the 
previous agreement with the wali. 
 
¶3. (SBU) UNAMID reported that government forces detained Kalma 
camp's sheikhs (community leaders) during the week of August 18. 
(NOTE: Although the cause and duration of detainment remain unclear, 
the UNAMID staff member posits that the two incidents are related. 
END NOTE.) According to UNAMID, SAF notified UNAMID of the impending 
plans for a weapons raid; however, UNAMID did not respond and was 
not present in the camp at the time of the raid.  (NOTE: The UNAMID 
staffer said that UNAMID did not have enough time to prepare, and 
did not want to be identified with government forces. END NOTE). 
 
¶4. (U) According to international news media, community leaders 
contradict UNAMID's account of the event, and indicate that more 
than 100 vehicles surrounded the camp on August 25 at 0500 hours and 
began firing in an attempt to clear out camp residents.  The 
community leaders report at least 18 deaths, many injuries, houses 
on fire, and call upon UNAMID to act on its mandate to protect the 
IDPS. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Salah Muhammad Fadul, a sultan of the Fur and resident of 
Nyala in South Darfur, told poloff by phone that the confrontation 
actually started on August 24, when a Central Reserve Force police 
unit surrounded Kalma camp, allegedly intending to conduct a weapons 
search in the camp.  According to Fadul, on the morning of August 
25, an IDP within the camp fired on the force, igniting the fighting 
between the police and IDPs.  Fadul stated that although the number 
of dead and wounded is impossible to confirm at this early stage, he 
has heard reports ranging from 20 to 90 deaths among the IDP 
population.  (NOTE: Separately, a member of SLA/Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) 
contacted poloff on August 25 and claimed that "intense fighting" in 
Kalma camp resulted in more than 300 dead IDPs. END NOTE.)  Fadul 
stated that he has offered to serve as a mediator between the IDPs 
and the government, as Kalma's IDPs are refusing to talk 
directly to the police force.  Fadul requested immediate 
international medical assistance for the wounded. 
 
¶6. (SBU) On August 25, USAID's implementing partner International 
Rescue Committee (IRC) reported the arrival of approximately 20 
wounded civilians at IRC clinics.  According to USAID's implementing 
partner World Vision International (WVI) the UN has confirmed that 
the fighting killed more than 50 camp residents.  As of 1130 hours, 
 
KHARTOUM 00001289  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
SAF forces were trying to forcibly remove the dead from the camp. 
In addition, WVI received reports that several IDP homes and the WVI 
receiving shelter for food distribution burned down during the 
firefight. 
 
¶7. (SBU) A/CDA raised the issue with MFA U/S Mutriff Siddiq during a 
meeting August 25, 2008.  Siddiq said he had not yet heard about the 
incident, but promised to look into it. 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶8. (U) Kalma camp is home to approximately 90,000 IDPs. On July 31, 
a UNAMID team visited Kalma camp to investigate reports of a 
Government of National Unity (GNU) weapons raid in the camp. 
According to IDP leaders, three to five GNU land cruisers with 
mounted machine guns entered Kalma camp on July 28.  UN added that 
Sudanese government officials confirmed the raid on Kalma camp and 
reported that GNU forces seized weapons from IDPs in the camp, a 
statement that the IDP leaders denied. At the time of the incident, 
community leaders indicated that the government forces did not harm 
or arrest any IDPs. Aid workers and IDP leaders expressed concern 
that the GNU raid is part of a strategy to close down Kalma camp and 
split up the IDP population. In late 2007, GNU forces planned to 
divide Kalma camp into nine smaller camps. According to 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the plan would have separated 
IDPs along ethnic lines and moved IDPs closer to areas of origin. 
Humanitarian agencies condemn forced relocations and GNU pressure on 
IDPs to return to places of origin. In October 2007, approximately 
30,000 of the 90,000 total IDPs fled Kalma camp in response to 
politically motivated inter-ethnic fighting. In November 2007, IDPs 
built road blocks to obstruct GNU disarmament campaigns in the camp. 
 
 
-------- 
COMMENT 
-------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Although it is essential that UNAMID meet with the South 
Darfur Wali, we are not hopeful that the meeting will produce any 
result. The Wali has been a continued source of difficulty to the UN 
and NGOs, and a source of irritation to the regime in Khartoum, due 
to his inability to be easily controlled and his tendency to be 
erratic in his governing style.  It is still unclear whether this 
morning's incident was a result of the Wali acting independently of 
Khartoum, or if it represents the Wali's implementation of an order 
that passed down from Khartoum.  We suspect the former rather than 
the latter given recent history, the Wali's problematic behavior, 
and the regime's current interest in showing progress in Darfur. 
 
ASQUINO