VZCZCXRO1317
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0022 0071252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071252Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2657
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000022 
 
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/SPG 
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY - AEC PLENARY - ABYEI UPDATE FROM UNMIS 
FORCE COMMANDER 
 
¶1. (SBU) During the first Assessment and Evaluation Plenary session 
of 2009, UNMIS Force Commander Brigadier General Thapa provided an 
update on the situation in Abyei.  He said the ceasefire per the 
June 8 Abyei Roadmap has held, with the exception of the December 12 
shooting incident in the Abyei market.  As a result of that 
incident, the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) have now redeployed to 
their designated camps outside of Abyei town and off-duty JIU 
military and JIPU police have been "disarmed." 
 
¶2. (SBU) Thapa cited good progress in the deployment of the JIUs, 
with one company deployed at Manyang and another at Todach, and 
platoons deployed at Baloum amd Banjabeed, with additional companies 
set for deployment to Agok and Difra.  The JIU battalion 
headquarters is located just outside of Abyei town.  SPLA and SSDS 
police have now departed Agok, while 10 SSDS officers remain in Agok 
for inquiries only.  UNMIS remains concerned about the presence of 
oil police and 11 SAF soldiers at Difra; the Joint Defense Board is 
looking at this issue.  Thapa said that both the SAF and the SPLA 
had agreed to hold additional combined Joint Defense Board (which 
UNMIS is not a member of) and Ceasefire Political Commission (which 
UNMIS is a member of) so that UNMIS may participate in sessions 
related to security issues to assist with implementation of 
decisions taken by the parties.  Thapa said there is still a grave 
lack of resources for the JIUs in terms of both transport and 
infrastructure.  UNMIS has provided some communications equipment to 
the JIUs, there has been an Egyptian contribution and the signing of 
a MOU with the UK, and UNMIS has offered to transport JIUs to their 
locations when appropriate, but cannot provide the JIUs with 
vehicles (that is the job of the SAF and the SPLA).  Thapa said that 
UNMIS has been working with the JDB and the CPC to urge the 
provision of additional resources to the JIUs. 
 
¶3. (SBU) AEC SPLM representative Angelina Teny (GNU Minister of 
State for Energy), Dutch Ambassador Norbert Braakhuis (as head of 
the Power Sharing Working Group) and CDA Fernandez (as head of the 
Wealth Sharing Working Group) all noted that funds still have not 
been transferred to the Abyei Interim Administration, nor to the 
Dinka or Misseriyya communities, nor have projects begun under the 
Unity Fund.  Following the formal session, Dr. Mohammed Osman 
Ibrahim from the Fiscal and Financial Allocation and Monitoring 
C/mmis#ion at the SuDanese Presidency told polchief that there has 
been a serious problem at the Ministry of Finance w)th fiscal 
liquidity and that transfers have been delayed in many areas of the 
GNU.   Separately, Dutch Ambassador and CDA Fernandez agreed to work 
toward organizing a joint meeting of the Power Sharing and Wealth 
Sharing working groups within the next week or two at which GNU 
representatives such as Unity Fund director General Yehia Babiker 
Hussein could be called upon to explain when transfers will be made 
to Abyei so that the Interim Administration can function and 
development projects may proceed. The Unity Fund is also supposed to 
fund other border projects, especially in the other two "Three 
Areas." 
 
FERNANDEZ