POLITICS IN THE EASTERN FRONT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000780

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/SPG, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL ER SU
SUBJECT: POLITICS IN THE EASTERN FRONT

REF: (A) ASMARA 277 (B) KHARTOUM 661

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


1. (C) On March 22, Poloff spoke with Dr. Amna Dirar, Vice
President of the Eastern Front, who stated that the Sudanese
government is trying to divide the Eastern Front along ethnic
lines. Dr. Amna named Mohamed Tahir Eli, Wali of the Red Sea
State, as the main perpetrator, who she said had launched a
personal attack against her because she is an ethnic Beni
Amer. She said that Eli, an ethnic Hadendawa, is encouraging
his tribe members within the Eastern Front to question her
authority and position. Dr. Amna added that because of the
tribal nature of Eastern Sudan, people have begun to question
her status. The Eastern Front seeks to represent all people
in the East, regardless of their tribe, she added. However,
she lamented that a major struggle within the Eastern Front
is a lack of organization and members not "towing the line".

We Will Develop Our Position Paper
--------------


2. (C) Dr. Amna said that the Eastern Front is preparing for
an annual conference on April 15 in Asmara to discuss its
organizational structure and negotiating position for talks
with the GNU. The Eastern Front leadership, including
herself, plans to meet in Asmara prior to the conference to
develop a position paper. She added that, although previous
meetings did not result in a unified stance, this conference
was aimed at achieving unanimity. Dr. Amna said that she
planned to highlight Eritrea,s importance in the GNU
negotiations; but perhaps not as a mediator because she
recognized that Eritrean mediation was a non-starter for the
formal GNU negotiations.

SRSG Pronk was Late
--------------


3. (SBU) Dr. Amna said that Eastern Front representatives had
failed to meet with UN SRSG Jan Pronk on March 13 because
Pronk,s plane was late in arriving from Massawa, Eritrea
(reftel B). At the same time the plane had arrived,
Executive Chairman of the Eastern Front Abdallah Kuna had to
attend a funeral, she added.

Other Political Party Involvement
--------------


4. (C) Osman Mirghani, President of the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA),is trying to join the Eastern Front
negotiations with the GNU, Dr. Amna said. She said that the
Eastern Front rejected Mirghani, saying that he negotiated
the NDA peace agreement with the Sudanese government in June
2005, and therefore does not qualify to participate in a
second peace deal.


5. (C) Comment: We have spoken with UN contacts who have just
returned from Kassala, and given recent comments by the
Eastern Front it appears as if Assistant to the President,
Nafie Ali Nafie, is using the local government in East Sudan
to divide the opposition along tribal lines. While the
Sudanese government continues to claim that it is ready for
negotiations; it asserts that the Eastern Front is unprepared
and too disorganized for negotiations, a seemingly valid
assertion.
STEINFELD