Cablegate: Sudan/Uganda/Drc: Preparations for Un U/S Egeland

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PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2666/01 3181302
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141302Z NOV 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5219
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002666

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DEPT FOR AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM SOCI PGOV UN SU UG CG
SUBJECT: SUDAN/UGANDA/DRC: PREPARATIONS FOR UN U/S EGELAND
MEETING WITH LRA'S KONY

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: UN Under Secretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs (USYG) Jan Egeland departed Juba
November 12 for a meeting with Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
chief Joseph Kony on the Sudan-Congo border. Before the
meeting, Egeland had expressed serious doubt about whether it
would actually occur. Egeland traveled to the rendezvous
point with a large group, including Government of Southern
Sudan (GoSS) Vice President Riek Machar and members of the
LRA delegation to GoSS-mediated peace talks with the
Government of Uganda (GOU). Kony appeared after several
hours of waiting. The UN official then pressed for an
agreement that the LRA would release an unspecified number of
women, children, and sick people to his custody. The LRA
balked at the request, claiming they have no wounded and no
civilians-- only combatants. Egeland later said he would
have settled for a statement of goodwill from the LRA and a
promise of future releases, which he did not get. End
Summary.

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Egeland Ready to Meet Kony
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2. (SBU) Egeland told the press in Juba he would "speak to
anybody, anywhere, if it advances the humanitarian cause."
The senior UN official, due to leave his post by the end of
the year, is making what is likely to be his final visit to
Sudan and Uganda. Though LRA representatives requested a
meeting between Joseph Kony and the UN official, they balked
at requests that the LRA release an unspecified number of
women, children, and sick people to Egeland's custody,
claiming no one wanted to leave. LRA second-in-command
Vincent Otti had earlier said the release of women and
children would clear the way for the UN to "bomb" the rebel
group. After subsequent direct discussion with Otti, UN
officials said they were optimistic that the LRA would issue
a statement of goodwill and, at minimum, promise future
releases. However, this did not occur.

3. (SBU) Egeland met separately November 11 with GoSS VP Riek
Machar, the GOU delegation to the peace talks, and LRA
representatives. Egeland said he had come to support the
talks and push for more progress. He praised the GOSS for
spearheading an "Africa-led" peace initiative, now receiving
financial and other support from "half a dozen" countries.
Both sides had respected the Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement, Egeland said, and there had been "no major
attacks" since last August. He called on the international
community to provide additional support for the process,
citing specifically the need for international monitors, and
for adequate food, water, and other provisions at designated
LRA assembly points. Under the Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement, LRA forces east of the Nile are required to
assemble at Owiny-Kibul, on the Sudan-Uganda border, and
those west of the Nile must gather at Ri-Kwangba, on the
border between Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). Though information is spotty and sometimes
contradictory, there are apparently few LRA forces currently
assembled at either location.

4. (SBU) Egeland and his group met the LRA outside the
village of Nabanga, near the Ri-Kwangba assembly point in
southern Sudan's Western Equatoria State. Both locations are
a few kilometers from the DRC border and the Garamba National
Park, where LRA chief Joseph Kony and deputy Vincent Otti are
believed to be based.

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Mediators, LRA Delegation Remain Behind
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5. (SBU) Following Egeland's visit, the GoSS mediation team
and the LRA negotiating team remained in Nabanga for further
consultations with LRA leadership. After renewing the
Cessation of Hostilities Agreement November 1, the parties
reached an impasse over a draft agreement on measures to
address "root causes" of the LRA conflict. The LRA
negotiating team then requested time to consult with LRA
leadership in the bush. The GOU acquiesced in this request.
It was not immediately certain how long the LRA negotiators
or the mediation team would remain in Nabanga.

6. (SBU) Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs Ruhakana
Rugunda flew back to Juba November 11 to meet with Egeland,
who is also expected to visit Darfur and Uganda during his
current trip. Rugunda said he was "confident that a peace
settlement that will be durable will come out of this
process." Asked if recent attacks around Juba, some of which
have been attributed to the LRA, had a negative impact on the

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talks, Rugunda said "on the contrary, it has increased the
determination" of negotiators to reach a comprehensive
agreement.

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Jongomoyi Okidi-Olal
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7. (SBU) U.S. citizen Jongomoyi Okidi-Olal participated in
the November 11 meeting between Egeland and the Government of
Uganda delegation, wearing a polo shirt with the words "Joint
Chiefs of Staff/Pentagon" prominently visible. Invited by
GOSS VP Machar to be an observer at the talks, Okidi-Olal has
distributed business cards identifying himself as employed by
the "U.S. Department of the Army." ConGen staff have
notified Egeland, GoSS VP Machar, and GOU negotiators that
Okidi-Olal is not representing the United States in any
official capacity.

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Comment
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12. (SBU) Egeland is clearly trying to cast a favorable
international spotlight on the LRA peace talks, and if his
trip to the Congo border helped the chances for the eventual
release of LRA captives it will have been worthwhile. The
prospect of more direct consultations between LRA peace
negotiators, GoSS mediators and the LRA's indicted leadership
may be more significant in the long run. The sooner the LRA
issue is resolved, and sooner attacks near Juba cease, the
better for Southern Sudan's stability.
HUME

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