P 021439Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3128

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000290 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, AF/SPG, DS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PTER SU
SUBJECT: MFA ASSURES EMBASSY OF PROTECTION DURING ICC CRISIS 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 257 
 
 ¶1. (SBU)  MFA Director of Protocol Ali Yusuf called in CDA 
Fernandez on March 2 to outline GOS precautions taken to 
protect foreign missions in general and the US Embassy in 
particular in the light of possible unrest after an 
International Criminal Court (ICC) announcement on President 
Omar al-Bashir. Yusuf said that the GOS had set up an 
inter-agency crisis management team to respond rapidly to any 
embassy security concerns. Sudan is serious about its 
international diplomatic obligations and wants to ensure that 
nothing happens to diplomatic personnel or premises, "there 
are limits to what we will allow and actions we will not 
permit anyone to take" against foreign missions. Effectively 
immediately, security would be increased at all US Embassy 
sites and key residences. He said that the Embassy should not 
hesitate to call anytime 24 hours a day either himself or 
General Babiker, head of diplomatic security, if there are 
any concerns in the next few days. 
 
¶2. (SBU) CDA thanked Yusuf for his concern, recalled the 
excellent ongoing cooperation on security related issues and 
noted that, in addition to the four usual embassy offices in 
Khartoum (Chancery, USAID, GSO Annex, RAO Annex), the NEC 
worksite in Sobat should also get protection. Residences that 
need special care are places where many Americans live such 
as the townhouse complex and an apartment building (OBO 249) 
although these are already places we have long asked for 
extra protection since early 2008. Yusuf wrote this down and 
said that any other sites needing more protection can be 
communicated to him or General Babiker at any time. 
 
¶3. (SBU) CDA raised the outstanding issue of some embassy 
vehicles still waiting for regular plates (many embassy CD 
vehicles were replated in early 2008 after the January 1st 
terrorist attack). Yusuf said that although this was taken as 
a temporary measure in 2008, and as a favor to CDA at the 
time, this was not the time to revisit this issue and he 
would give immediate orders for the remaining license plates 
to be released before March 4 and to continue the current 
arrangement for the time being. Embassy will follow up. 
FERNANDEZ