Ceasefire Commission, July 4-11

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001112 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY SENSITIVE, SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO AU CD SU SUBJECT: Ceasefire Commission, July 4-11 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Brigadier General Rurangwa continued to chair the Ceasefire Commission (CFC) from July 4 to 11. Several meetings focused on concerns about appropriate representation on the CFC at both the headquarters and the military group site (MGS) level. The new force commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), Martin Luther Agwai, arrived on July 9. While he visited with members of the First Chamber, regular CFC meetings were cancelled that day. End Summary. -------------- July 4, First Chamber -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Col. Seck, the team leader of the investigation of the vehicular incident in Labado on May 30, said that its field work was almost complete and that the team needed one last visit to Muhajeriya and Labado. The Chairman consented. No other business was concluded during the meeting. Members were eager to adjourn to prepare for the celebration of Rwandan Liberation Day at camp Zam Zam. -------------- July 4, Second Chamber -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Members reviewed the investigation report on the April 10 attack on a water escort patrol from MGS Sortony that led to the death of one Rwandan protection force soldier, the wounding of three other soldiers and two local children, and the theft of an AMIS vehicle and generator. The investigation, which was undertaken by the Sector 4 AMIS staff, cited "overwhelming evidence linking the attack to SLA/Abdulsahif." ¶4. (SBU) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Non-Signatories Faction (NSF) representative Col. Abdou Abdulla Ismail contested the report, saying that it gave too much weight to the testimony of Arab nomads. He questioned why the investigation was carried out by the Sector Headquarters acting as a "Sub-CFC" when no such entity existed under the N'djamena Ceasefire Agreement. He accused AMIS of not interviewing an important witness - the commander who instigated the attack. He said the commander had acted alone and without instructions from SLA/Abdulshafi. The US representative asked whether SLA/Abdulshafi would issue a statement to that effect. Abdou replied that he only acted as a liaison with AMIS and had no authority to speak for the SLA/Abdulshafi leadership. (Comment: Abdou is more aligned with SLA/Abdulwahid than with other non-signatory factions. End Comment.) ¶5. (SBU) The CFC Chairman retorted that had the witness been so important, the faction representative accompanying the investigation team should not have signed the report and returned to El Fasher. This assertion provoked Abdou to question yet again why SLA non-signatory representatives were not allowed to deploy to the group sites. He accused AMIS of continuing to prevent deployment of non-signatories--in violation of the N'djamena Ceasefire--at the behest of the Sudanese Government. -------------- July 9, First Chamber -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Incoming Force Commander Gen. Martin Luther Agwai addressed the First Chamber. Agwai said that he was not sure what role he played -- AMIS Force Commander, Commander of the Heavy Support Package or Commander of the Hybrid -- and felt he had a steep learning curve ahead of him. He stressed the importance of teamwork in the CFC, respect for one another, flexibility, and innovation, and added that "it is important to go by the agreement but not be slaves to it." Agwai concluded that with transparent and honest effort, peace would come. (Comment: Agwai has already shown he is different from previous force commanders. By July 18, he will have visited every group site in Darfur for briefings from his commanders. End Comment.) -------------- July 11, First Chamber -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Col. Seck announced that the team had flown to Muhajeriya over the weekend and had concluded its witness interviews. The CFC Chairman asked that the final report be provided on Monday July 16. ¶8. (SBU) Col. Mohamed Adam Abdallah said that he had not been paid his Monthly Subsistence Allowance (MSA). He said the problem was that his group does not recognize the political leader of SLA/Free Will but still abides by the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and deserves the MSA. Several members reminded Abdallah that MSAs were KHARTOUM 00001112 002 OF 002 not a product of the DPA and that they were designed only to help representatives re-establish themselves at AMIS sites. -------------- July 11, Second Chamber -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) representative General Mohamed Bashier said that he would be absent from the CFC for the next two weeks to support his movement during the talks in Tripoli July 21-23. He said that SLA/NSF representative Abdou was going to announce the same intention but was absent for the meeting. Bashier said that JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim's talks with AU Envoy Salim Ahmed Salim had been successful and that the July 21-23 talks would examine the DPA and address JEM's chief objections. He did not know who would represent the SLA non-signatories in Tripoli. There was still no agreed-upon leadership or common negotiating agenda among the factions, according to Bashier. ¶10. (SBU) Bashier said that the Sudanese Government continues to undermine the movements. He said a new faction had split from Gibril Abdulkareem and the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD) and had signed a ceasefire agreement July 6 with the Government for which it received four Land Cruisers (two in El Geneina and two in Misteria). Bashier indicated that the new group, led by Mohamed Ahmed al-Bishara and augmented by Government forces, was masquerading as JEM. FERNANDEZ