MINNI MINAWI: ENCOURAGES DPA SUPPORT, CRITICIZES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001563

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2016
TAGS: PREL KPKO SOCI AU UN SU
SUBJECT: MINNI MINAWI: ENCOURAGES DPA SUPPORT, CRITICIZES
SLOW DPA IMPLEMENTATION, SEEKS U.S. VERIFIERS

Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During three days of a visit by S/CRS
Officer Wilson, SLM leader Minni Minawi said he was speaking
to villagers to encourage their support for the Darfur Peace
Agreement (DPA),criticized AMIS for slow implementation of
the DPA, asked for U.S. DPA security arrangements verifiers,
said he was drawing up lists of names to fill DPA
commissions, and noted his interest in maintaining
humanitarian access and deriving immediate benefits to anchor
local support for the DPA. He also said that the security
situation had improved over the past month with the exception
of incidents near the border with Chad, for which he blamed
Chad's efforts to destabilize rebel-held areas of Sudan to
keep refugee camps stocked with potential recruits. Minni
also stated that he planned to travel to Cairo, Asmara, and
Khartoum during the coming week to prepare for the next steps
forward. End summary.


2. (C) (Note: the following account was relayed from North
Darfur State by S/CRS Officer Tod Wilson based on his June 28
) 30 visit to Dar el Salaam, Darfur. End note.)

(Begin account)

I spent the past three days with Minni in Dar el Salaam (SE
North Darfur) and surrounding villages. Minni is in decent
spirits and was very happy after the SLM/A rally in Shangil
Tobaiya where Minni talked publicly to a crowd of 1500 to
3000 in front of local and national press as well as an El
Jazeera stringer for more than 45 minutes. He also planned
to speak in Ed al Baeda and several other villages; he is
concerned about the pace of implementation or lack thereof of
the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA),and has started to become
proactive in getting the message out in his areas of control.


His main issues involved the lack of AMIS implementation.
Specifically, he is displeased that there has been no
verification of positions, that the AU and AMIS are still
treating the non-signatories like those who have signed, and
that there is no effort to counter those against the DPA. He
asked when the U.S. verifiers were going to arrive and
requested that the S/CRS officer take a personal interest in
getting verification started. Minni indicated that all his
people for the CFC, JHFU, etc. had been nominated to AMIS.
He also said that his advance team in Khartoum was working on
names to nominate for the DPA commissions and committees.

We also talked about the provisions in the DPA for his
assuring humanitarian access safety in his Areas of Control
(AOC). He is prepared to talk to AMIS, UN OCHA, and UNMIS in
El Fasher about setting up the process for coordination and
designation of humanitarian supply routes in his AOC. He
will set up meetings early next week. On the phone to UN
OCHA and UNMIS, he complained that the supplies they were
taking to Bir Masa (Mini's hometown) were not being
distributed to the IDPs, but being stored and used by
militias. He urged them to use the mechanisms set up in the
DPA and the new humanitarian coordinator for his areas. In
regard to Suleiman Jamous, he charged that he was also
misusing supplies and was against the DPA for personal
benefit.

He is anxious for the people in his areas to see some benefit
in humanitarian access, and reconstruction. He walked me
past the hospital where he said his father died * having
received little to no treatment for diabetes in the
Swedish-built facility that has never been staffed by the
Sudanese Government. ACF recently pulled out, and did not
tell anyone when it would return to staff the clinic. He is
concerned that reconstruction through a multi-donor trust
fund would hold reconstruction up. He asked if the U.S.
could start roads or something that the people saw as a
benefit from the DPA.

The village had a large school that looked like it could use
some refurbishment, and perhaps book bags and other school
materials. Minni said the town and surrounding villages had
a population of around 130k to 140k. The main road from
Shangil Tobaiya to El Fasher could be raised (with crushed
stone and a lot of labor) to counter the bogs from the rain.
Our detour was close to 10 kms to get around the mud left
from the rain last night. We do not need to build roads, but
there certainly could be some enhancements made that would
bring jobs to the area. There are also new IDPs from the
south in Dar el Salaam that Minni says are left
under-attended. He was very interested in seeing radio
coming to Darfur, as the camp listens to radio every night.

On security, Minni indicated that things had quieted down and

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certainly were below the levels of last month. This is in
line with reporting from UNMIS and AMIS. He indicated that
there was no fighting in 90 percent of his area, even though
we traveled with 60 to 90 armed fighters when we left Dar el
Salaam. The remaining problem area is in the northwest. He
believes problems there are instigated by Chad to keep the
refugee camps populated in order to recruit for its army. He
indicated that JEM is not a major problem. It has split into
three groups, pro-DPA, anti-DPA (most of whom were resorting
to looting for personal gain),and those elements that have
rejoined the Chadian opposition. Libya wants the JEM to be
part of the DPA. They like Khalil, but will let him go at
the next leadership conference to get the JEM into the DPA.
He looks at Wahid as having very few options, and does not
understand why he did not sign the DPA. He sees no military
advantage or leverage for Wahid, other than using the Fur as
a political lever, leaving himself few options other than
spoiler. He is confused as to why the AU continues to
provide him and his men services (helo flights, etc.)

Minni plans to return to El Fasher to arrange meetings with
those mentioned above. He is also trying to take two short
trips to Egypt to shore up his relations with Cairo and then
on to Eritrea. He indicated that Eritrea has told him to
close his offices there. Minni stated that Eritrea wants to
conclude the Beja talks first and wanted him to hold out
longer in Abuja to give them more leverage in the East
negotiations. However, he is having trouble getting an
aircraft from Cairo. He plans on going to Khartoum on July 5.

(End account)
HUME