VZCZCXRO0601
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0125/01 0330927
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 020927Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2818
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000125 
 
DEPT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, AF/SPG, AF/C 
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: UNAMID STAYS IN MUHAJARRIYA AS BOMBING AND FIGHTING 
CONTINUE 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 116 
B) KHARTOUM 104 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On February 1, UNAMID's Deputy Joint Special 
Representative General Henry Anyidoho informed Embassy Khartoum that 
UNAMID will remain in Muhajarriya "at the determination of the 
Secretary General," despite GOS bombing of JEM rebel positions 
around the area the same day and in spite of two written requests 
from the GOS to evacuate from Muhajarriya.  Undersecretary at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mutriff Siddiq, confirmed to CDA 
Fernandez that the GOS had asked UNAMID to leave the area because of 
concerns that JEM will either attack or hide behind UNAMID.  Siddiq 
also argued that no civilians remain in the area and informed the 
CDA that the GOS does plan on attacking and gaining control of 
Muhajarriya.  Reliable NGO sources have also reported that almost 
the entire population around Muhajarriya has now been displaced, 
although approximately one to two thousand people remain camped 
outside the UNAMID team site. END SUMMARY 
 
FIGHTING AND BOMBING CONTINUES IN SOUTH DARFUR 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶2. (SBU)  UNAMID reports confirm that fighting in South Darfur 
continues, most recently north of Seleah on January 31. According to 
these same reports, UNAMID has also verified that GOS aircrafts 
dropped at least five bombs near Muhajarriya on two separate 
occasions on January 31 and also bombed two different locations 
north and west of Muhajarriya on February 1.  According to a UNDSS 
report, one of the bombs fell within 800 meters of the UNAMID camp. 
UNAMID political affairs also reported increased GOS deployment to 
the area, with at least two convoys of GOS forces arriving west and 
east of Muhajarriya in the last two days. 
 
UNAMID REJECTS GOS REQUEST TO LEAVE MUHAJARRIYA 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶3.  (SBU) According to Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) 
Anyidoho, despite the ongoing military activity in South Darfur, 
UNAMID has decided to remain in Muhajarriya.  Anyidoho reported that 
the Rwandan troops in Muhajarriya are well fortified and remain 
committed to staying unless instructed to evacuate.  There are no 
NGOs left in Muhajarriya, following the evacuation of MSF last week, 
stated the DJSR.  Anyidoho told polchief that the Governor of South 
Darfur called him January 31 requesting that UNAMID evacuate given 
that the SAF was planning a large-scale military operation to remove 
JEM from Muhajarriya.  (Note: JEM invaded Muhajarriya on January 15. 
 Muhajarriya was previously controlled by SLM/MM forces which 
initially refused Khartoum's help in repelling JEM. End note.) 
Anyidoho said that UNAMID requested that the GOS put this demand in 
writing, and subsequently the Wali and the SAF commander in El 
Fasher submitted letters to UNAMID calling on it to evacuate from 
Muhajarriya.  Anyidoho said that despite the letters, UNAMID would 
remain in Muhajarriya "at the determination of the Secretary 
General."  JSR Adada flew back to Khartoum on February 1 to request 
a meeting with the MFA, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon met 
with President Bashir in Addis Ababa to discuss the issue. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  A senior UNDSS contact also told emboffs in Nyala that 
UNAMID will not leave Muhajarriya, although it has withdrawn some of 
its staff since the start of the fighting between JEM and SLM/MM. 
This source said that the week of January 25, UNAMID withdrew one 
unarmed civilian police, a language assistant, and one military 
observer from its Muhajarriya base. Like Aniydoho, this contact 
reported that UNAMID's peacekeepers are still present in Muhajarriya 
and that UNAMID is not planning to pullout from the region. This 
same UNDSS source also stated that the GOS spread rumors through 
radio broadcast last week of an impending GOS attack on the town. 
According to this source, this radio broadcast "created hysteria" 
among the local population and led to the displacement of at least 
5000 civilians. 
 
SYG: UNAMID MUST REMAIN IN MUHAJARRIYA 
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¶5.  (SBU) Several UN sources reported that although some UNAMID 
officials recommended withdrawing from Muhajarriya, UN Secretary 
General Ban Ki-Moon and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping 
Operations Alain Le Roy determined that UNAMID should stay in 
Muhajarriya. According to these sources, Secretary General Ban 
decided that a departure would signal UNAMID's failure to live up to 
its mandate of protecting civilians as one thousand IDPs are now 
taking refuge outside of their gates.  UNAMID's polchief Abdul 
Mohammed told polchief that the meeting between JEM and the GOS with 
Chief Mediator Bassole will go forward on February 8 as planned, 
according to contacts with all sides. 
 
GOS CONFIRMS THAT IT DID REQUEST UNAMID'S DEPARTURE 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
KHARTOUM 00000125  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  On February 1, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs Mutriff Siddiq told CDA Fernandez that the Government of 
Sudan had asked UNAMID to leave Muhajarriya and that he was annoyed 
that the U.S. knew this, as "this had been asked in confidence." 
(Note:  On February 2, Sudanese press, such as "Al-Rai' Al-Aam", 
also reported that the Government had requested UNAMID's departure 
from the area.  End Note.)  According to Siddiq, the GOS is afraid 
that similar to the rebel attack on Haskanita (of September 2007 
that resulted in the death of 10 AMIS peacekeepers,) JEM would 
attack the peacekeepers to take their fuel and ammunition, 
especially as JEM is low on fuel and supplies. Siddiq stated that 
another JEM tactic may be to seize some of the peacekeepers as human 
shields, "this is their way, they always hide among the innocent so 
we will be blamed when we attack them."  Siddiq pledged that the GOS 
wants to, as much as possible, separate JEM from UNAMID and from 
civilians. 
 
GOS COORDINATES WITH SLM/MM AND REJECTS CIVILIAN PRESENCE 
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¶7.  (SBU)  Siddiq also stated that the GOS is now coordinating 
closely with SLM/MM. Muhajarriya only fell to JEM in the first place 
because Minni had refused Khartoum's support and sought to defend 
the area by himself, said Siddiq. Siddiq ended the conversation 
stating, that JEM had tricked both Bassole and the Americans, 
talking peace in January while plotting this offensive.  CDA 
Fernandez noted that the U.S. is deeply concerned about the 
possibility of civilian casualties in the Muhajarriya area.  Siddiq 
responded saying that currently there are no civilians left in 
Muhajarriya, as all of the population has fled, and that the only 
people who even remotely fit this category are civilian recruits JEM 
has gathered there to join their forces, and "we don't consider them 
civilians." Side said the attack on Muhajarriya could come at any 
time. 
 
MUHAJARRIYA'S POPULATION IS ALMOST ENTIRELY DISPLACED 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶8.  (SBU)  Also on January 31 and February 1, NGO sources told USAID 
officers that the total population of Sheiria (including 
Muhajarriya) has been displaced.  The estimated total population of 
Sheiria is 40,000 people.  The majority,appp/ximem txmb HgmmQt9hqbQ* Kd$jTl%q $eqQ`QoQ o{`sfmlQQZUhii(g, saying that the vast majority 
of Muhajarriya's population has been displaced. Minnawi also 
reported that a desperate JEM effort to resupply units in 
Muhajarriya with fuel and ammo was blocked by an SLM/MM checkpoint 
at Umm Sidr within the past couple of days. 
 
COMMENT 
- - - - 
¶9.  (SBU)  Both JEM and the GOS are to blame for the displacement, 
death, and destruction in an area that was, until recently, 
relatively stable by Darfur standards. Ironically, JEM bears the 
greater blame.  JEM precipitated all of this violence by invading 
South Darfur on January 6 and attacking Minni Minnawi's forces in 
Muhajarriya on January 15 immediately after meeting with U.S. 
officials in Washington.  Post recommends a statement from the 
Department calling on JEM to immediately withdraw from South Darfur 
and return to status quo ante positions (with Minni Minnawi in 
control of Muhajarriya and JEM along the North Darfur-Chad border). 
The statement should also call on the GOS to end its bombing of 
areas populated by civilians and to allow JEM safe passage back to 
its original positions in North Darfur. However, given that JEM may 
have been caught flatfooted in South Darfur, if indeed it is running 
low on fuel, it is unlikely that the GOS would let their most bitter 
enemy (which 9 months was poised briefly on the banks of the Nile 
across from Khartoum) escape back to their refuge in Chad unscathed. 
If the GOS is able to trap and defeat JEM in Muhajarriya, it will 
have inflicted a rare outright military defeat on a usually elusive 
foe. 
 
FERNANDEZ