SULEIMAN JAMOUS STILL UNDER UN PROTECTION

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002874 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SE NATSIOS, AND AF/SPG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY USUN FOR LAVIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINR PHUM PGOV CVIS SUBJECT: SULEIMAN JAMOUS STILL UNDER UN PROTECTION Ref: Frazer-Hume E-mail, 13 Dec 06 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Department has requested information regarding the status of Suleiman Jamous, former Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator for the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and an outspoken opponent of the Darfur Peace Agreement (Ref A). Jamous is currently living at a UN hospital in South Kordofan, and is said to be in good condition. His family and supporters have asked the USG to allow him to go to the United States for medical treatment, but he likely will not qualify for a non-immigrant visa, and the Government of Sudan refuses to issue him travel documents. End Summary. Biographic Information -------------- ¶2. (U) Suleiman Adam Jamous was born near Kutum, North Darfur, in ¶1945. He attended the Polytechnic University in Khartoum, and joined the National Islamic Front (NIF) as a student. He sided with NIF leader Hassan al Turabi in 1999 after President Omar al Bashir purged Turabi, and spent four years in prison. He was released in 2003, and returned to Darfur, where he joined the SLM/A. Breaks with Minawi over the Darfur Peace Agreement -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) Jamous became the SLM/A's Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator in 2003, working closely with foreign journalists, international NGOs, and UN officials in arranging access to SLA-controlled areas of Darfur. He also served as the SLM/A's liaison to the International Criminal Court in 2005. He has been an outspoken critic of SLM/A leader Mini Minawi, calling for reform within the movement. ¶4. (U) Jamous publicly criticized Minawi after the signing of the DPA, joining "the Group of 19," a splinter group from Minawi's faction that rejected the agreement. On May 23, 2006, SLM/A Minawi forces captured Jamous near Bir Maza and charged him with being a spy. Several human rights activists that had previously worked with Jamous spoke out against his detention, and accused Minawi of torturing Jamous. A June 17 op-ed in the New York Times by Julie Flint -- titled "Dealing with the Devil in Darfur" -- criticized Minawi for arresting Jamous, and called Minawi "the most abusive rebel leader in Darfur." Released after Embassy Intervention -------------- ¶5. (SBU) CDA Hume met with Minawi on June 19 in El Fasher to discuss Minawi's upcoming visit to the White House; on orders from the Department, Hume urged Minawi to release Jamous as soon as possible. Three days later, Minawi released Jamous to UNMIS, which secretly transferred him to a UNMIS medical facility in Kadugli, South Kordofan, for treatment. ¶6. (U) The Government reacted harshly to the UN's move, and accused the UN of aiding anti-government rebels. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned SRSG Jan Pronk for an explanation, and suspended all UN flights to, from, and within Darfur for 48 hours. Still under UN Protection; Unable to Leave Sudan -------------- --- ¶7. (SBU) Jamous remains at the UNMIS facility in Kadugli, and is said to be in good condition. UNMIS is unable to move him without Government permission, and there are rumors that the Government wants to capture him. His supporters and family -- including his daughter and granddaughter, who live in the United States -- have campaigned for him to be granted asylum in the United States, and have started a petition urging his release. Given these circumstances, Jamous appears unlikely to qualify for a non-immigrant visa. Though he might be eligible for humanitarian parole to enter the United States, it is also unlikely that the Government of Sudan would issue him a passport or exit visa. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Given Jamous' public opposition to the DPA and his relatively good condition, Post would not be eager to recommend Jamous for humanitarian parole at this time. Moreover, even if Jamous were granted parole to enter the United States, gaining the Government's permission for him to leave Sudan would require considerable diplomatic wrangling. End Comment. HUME