CHADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON REBELS AND DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 001276 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2016 TAGS: PREL PREF CD SD SUBJECT: CHADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON REBELS AND DARFUR REF: N'DJAMENA 1273 Classified By: PolOff John O'Leary. Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In a 27 October meeting with the Ambassador, Chadian Foreign Minister Allam-Mi contended that Chadian rebels are an extension of the Sudanese government's policy of destabilizing Chad. The Foreign Minister stated that Chad favors an international peacekeeping force on Sudan's side of the border, but fears that one on Chad's side would become a target for Sudanese forces. Instead, in Chad he favors a civil force from African and Islamic countries to provide security for the refugee camps and to monitor the border. The Ambassador assured Allam-MI that the United States supports a peaceful resolution of disputes. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Ambassador met with Chadian Foreign Minister Ahmad Allam-Mi this morning (10/27) at the Foreign Minister's request. The Foreign Minister appeared to be calling in all Chiefs of Mission individually. ¶3. (C) The Foreign Minister discussed this week's Chadian rebel incursion into central Chad and its relationship to the Darfur conflict in neighboring Sudan. Allam-Mi noted that the rebels had new equipment and vehicles and rhetorically wondered about the origin of such materiel. He explained the rebel's ability to penetrate into central Chad by noting that Chad is "a vast country" whose borders cannot be completely secured. ¶4. (C) Foreign Minister Allam-Mi continued with a recitation of Chad's strides toward national reconciliation. There have been presidential and parliamentary elections. There was a national reconciliation conference. Opposition parties are encouraged. There is a "beautiful constitution". What is the rebels' objective, he asked, what could they hope to change? ¶5. (C) The Foreign Minister continued, stating that the Chadian rebels are an instrument of Sudanese policy meant to destabilize Chad and to deflect world attention from Darfur. He stated that the Chadian conflict would not end until the Darfur conflict is resolved. ¶6. (C) In response to a question from the Ambassador, Allam-Mi stated that the Chadian army could fortify Chad's side of the border, but that Chad favors an international peacekeeping force on the Sudanese side. This international force is necessary to deflect the Janjaweed and to protect refugees in Sudan, he insisted. On the Chadian side of the border, he would like to see a civil force (such as gendarmes) from African and Islamic countries brought in to secure refugee camps and to monitor the frontier. He does not want an international peacekeeping force on the Chadian side because he is concerned that such a deployment would give the Sudanese government an excuse to "internationalize" the conflict, to broaden the fighting. ¶7. (C) The Ambassador assured the Foreign Minister that the United States opposes the use of force by rebels in Chad, and he urged all sides to resolve their differences peacefully. ¶8. (U) Tripoli minimized considered. WALL