VZCZCXRO0532
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0605 1300950
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100950Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3720
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000605 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/C 
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: A/S BOSWELL VISIT TO EL FASHER, APRIL 29 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The security situation in Darfur is relatively 
calm, but remains fluid and unpredictable, with ambushes, 
abductions, armed robbery and carjackings posing the most danger to 
Westerners according to what UN and international non-government 
organization (INGO)  representatives told Assistant Secretary for 
Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell during an April 29 visit to El 
Fasher, North Darfur.  They emphasized that overall security had 
deteriorated since the March 4 INGO expulsions and the corresponding 
increase in hostile rhetoric against Western assistance workers. 
During his visit, A/S Boswell also toured the UNAMID Supercamp and 
Nigerian Level II Hospital, as well as existing USG facilities in El 
Fasher. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) A/S Boswell and Special Assistant Karen Lass arrived in El 
Fasher on April 29 accompanied by the DCM, RSO and USAID Mission 
Director.  At UNAMID Headquarters in El Fasher, A/S Boswell had a 
courtesy call with UNAMID Force Commander General Martin Luther 
Agwai, who noted that fighting between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and 
rebels and  inter-rebel fighting have virtually ceased since 
fighting occurred in Muhajeriya in January-February. "Banditry and 
criminality are currently our biggest challenge" to keeping peace in 
Darfur, he said. A/S Boswell was then briefed in detail on the 
security situation by UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) 
Officer Frazer King. The month of April was one of relative calm, 
but the situation remains fluid and unpredictable, according to 
King. Recurring trends include tensions between the SAF and 
non-signatory rebel movements; tribal clashes over grazing and water 
rights; the Chad-Sudan proxy war involving the Justice and Equality 
Movement (JEM) and the Chadian Union des Forces de la Rsistance 
(UFR); incidents targeting the UN and INGOs; banditry against 
civilian and internally displaced persons (IDP) populations; and a 
tense environment in IDP camps following the March 4 expulsion of 13 
INGOs. Security personnel are currently most concerned about 
ambushes, abductions and kidnappings, armed robbery and carjackings, 
according to King. Kidnappings in particular are a major concern as 
they may proliferate as an alternative source of income to 
carjacking.  At UNAMID Headquarters, A/S Boswell also toured the 
hybrid force's Nigerian Level II Hospital, and later in the day saw 
the sprawling UNAMID Sector North "Supercamp" currently under 
construction. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Following his departure from UNAMID Headquarters, A/S 
Boswell had a courtesy call with the Wali (Governor) of North 
Darfur, Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir, who greeted him cordially. A/S 
Boswell expressed his appreciation to the Wali for the support the 
GOS provides to USG personnel while in Darfur. He also remarked to 
the Wali the desire of the USG to establish a more secure platform 
for TDY personnel to spend time in El Fasher. Kibir welcomed the 
effort to establish such a facility, and emphasized to A/S Boswell 
that the time was ripe for the USG to advance the cause of peace in 
Darfur. "We have a local saying that a chance [like this] never 
comes twice," he said. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Following the meeting at the Wali's office, A/S Boswell 
attended a UN Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 
briefing and INGO roundtable with over a dozen representatives from 
INGOs and UN agencies to discuss security in the field. The group 
emphasized that security on the ground is not improving, and in 
fact, may be getting worse.  Two recent kidnappings of international 
INGO staff in Darfur have changed the tenor of the working 
environment, they said, as has the hostile rhetoric and fallout from 
the expulsion of thirteen INGOs. INGO representatives also expressed 
frustration at the perceived lack of security information they 
receive from UNAMID and UNDSS, alleging that what they get is 
inadequate and provides little feedback, guidance or analysis. They 
did, however, compliment the quality and responsiveness of UNAMID 
medical care and evacuation, as well as UNAMID's quick response to 
compound break-ins and other security incidents in El Fasher town. 
Finally, A/S Boswell toured the US Embassy Green House and Blue 
House facilities, as well as separate USAID TDY work and living 
quarters on the other side of town. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Even as the Darfur conflict winds down, insecurity 
is likely to be rampant in an area that has, for decades, been 
characterized by lawlessness. Given the scope of USG political and 
humanitarian engagement in Darfur, the lack of a secure platform for 
USG personnel there is untenable. While current USG facilities 
continue to house  USG personnel for short periods, they remain 
largely inadequate despite incremental security upgrades.  A secure 
platform is urgently needed given what will likely be a prolonged 
engagement in humanitarian relief and recovery activities as well as 
the Darfur peace process and, eventually, longer-term development 
initiatives. 
FERNANDEZ