VZCZCXRO5720
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1786 3491344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141344Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2535
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001786 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/SPG 
NSC FOR BHUDSON AND CPITTMAN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID ASEC KPKO UNSC SU
SUBJECT: ONE DEAD IN ABYEI AFTER JIU AND JIPU CLASH, SITUATION NOW 
QUIET, BUT TENSE 
 
REF: A. KHARTOUM 1767 
      ¶B. KHARTOUM 1777 
 
¶1.  (U) Over the course of two days, clashes between security forces 
in Abyei town are reported to have left one soldier dead, and nine 
individuals wounded.  The first incident at 12:30PM on December 12 
reportedly began with a dispute between a Southern Joint Integrated 
Police Unit (JIPU) policeman and an ethnic-Misseriya butcher in the 
town market place.  According to one account, the butcher stabbed 
the policeman.  When the JIPU fired into the air to disperse a 
gathering crowd, they were fired on by panicky Joint Integrated Unit 
(JIU) soldiers from the SAF, who thought they were under attack. 
Another version has it that the dispute escalated when the northern 
JIU soldiers intervened on the side of the butcher in his argument 
with police.  The circumstances surrounding the noon December 13 
gunfire (a separate reported incident) are unclear, but it may have 
begun when a group of JIU soldiers approached a police station in 
the market area. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In the first incident one JIU soldier was killed, and five 
other JIUs, two JIPUs, and two civilians were wounded.  All of the 
wounded were medevaced by UNMIS to Kadugli.  There were no known 
casualties in the second incident, according to UNMIS.  Delegations 
from the Abyei Joint Military Commission quickly deployed to both 
Agok and Diffra in an effort to head off any attempt by either the 
SPLA or SAF to intervene in the conflict.  The town is currently 
under a 6:00PM to 6:00AM curfew and UNMIS reports it is "extremely 
tense." 
 
¶3.  (SBU) As was true at the start of the outbreak of fighting in 
May, most or all of the key decision makers were away and unable to 
intervene when the trouble started.  UNMIS's immediate reaction to 
the gunfire was to withdraw to its compound.  All of the principals, 
however, immediately returned to Abyei in order to regain control of 
the situation.  These included Abyei Administrator Arop Mayok, JIU 
Commander Valentino, and UN Head of Office Christine Johnson.  UNSYG 
Special Representative Ashraf Qazi also traveled from Khartoum to 
Abyei on December 13.  UN South Sudan Humanitarian Coordinator David 
Gressly left  Juba for  Abyei on December 13 to assess the 
situation. 
 
¶4. (U) According to Mercy Corps and Save the Children/U.S. staff, 
several hundred civilians fled from Abyei to Agok following the 
shooting incidents.  Relief workers report that the several hundred 
civilians who left Abyei in recent days had only just returned to 
Abyei after leaving during the May 2008 clashes.  However, the 
humanitarian impact of the recent insecurity is likely to be minimal 
as most of Abyei's IDPs remain displaced in Agok, south of the Kiir 
River, since May.  Those IDPs who did return to Abyei have left 
family members behind in Agok.  Aid agencies have suspended 
activities in Abyei until the security situation improves, but 
continue to operate in Agok.  USAID will continue to monitor the 
humanitarian impact. 
 
¶5. (SBU) During a meeting with a visiting Congressional staffdel 
December 14 (septel), MFA U/S Mutrif Siddiq also reported that the 
situation in Abyei is now calm and characterized the events as an 
"isolated incident."  Siddiq said the GOS is more concerned with 
JEM.  He said that given its recent build-up of vehicles in North 
Darfur (currently amassed in Kariari, according to Siddiq), JEM may 
be planning an attack on oil installations/pipelines in South 
Kordofan.  To provide additional protection to oil installations and 
"prevent infiltration," the SAF has sent an additional six 
battalions to South Kordofan, according to Siddiq. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment:  The incident proves once more that Abyei remains 
a flash point between North and South, as well as local ethnic 
groups.  As the May conflict demonstrated, a minor incident can 
easily flare  out of control, especially if key leaders are not 
available  to take prompt action.   Bitter ethnic feelings and 
tensions in the region might be significantly reduced were the 
newly-installed Abyei Administration to begin significant 
development projects and have peace dividends to show to the 
population.  However, recovery and development activities require a 
certain level of stability in order to implement projects that will 
make a difference in the lives of Abyei's citizens.  This will 
require that the GNU start distributing the revenues to which the 
Administration is entitled under the Abyei Roadmap agreement.  Post 
will continue to press GNU and NCP officials for the speedy release 
of these funds. 
 
ASQUINO