RIZEIGAT: WE CAN EITHER BE WITH YOU...OR AGAINST YOU

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001567 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, AF/SE NATSIOS, NEA/MAG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO AU SU UN SUBJECT: RIZEIGAT: WE CAN EITHER BE WITH YOU...OR AGAINST YOU REFTEL: KHARTOUM 1548 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In an October 8 meeting with CDA Fernandez, Abd al-Raheem Hamdan Dagalo, a son of the notorious and influential Rizeigat umda Juma Dagalo, described the marginalization of the Arab tribes in Darfur as worse than that of those in IDP camps. The Arab tribes were an integral part of peace in Darfur, but would insist on their rights being met in any future agreement. Much of the blame for the problems in Darfur are the fault of the larcenous Zaghawa tribe and not the noble Arab tribes or meek and industrious Fur and other farmers. The recent history of broken promises by the Sudanese government had soured an already fragile alliance, he said, but the Arab tribes would align with the side that best protected their interests. They were open to realignment with either the Fur or the Americans or both. According to Dagalo, Arab tribes in Darfur were manipulated by Khartoum and wary of any U.S. intervention in the region, suspicious that the U.S. would pit non-Arabs against them and create another "Iraq or Palestine." End summary. -------------- U.S. IS A BALANCED BROKER IN DARFUR... -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In his meeting with the Rizeigat umda's son, CDA repeatedly made the point that the U.S. was not supporting any one group in Darfur over another. "We just want to solve the issue," he said. The U.S. could provide encouragement, assistance and even funding once there is a peace to keep, but the final solution remained in the hands of the people of Darfur. The Arab tribes could pay the price as scapegoats of the central government's mistakes and policies, CDA warned. ¶3. (SBU) The Rizeigat were not aligned with any of the movements, nor the government, Dagalo claimed. In fact, the Rizeigat were in the forefront among the Arab tribes in resisting government interference, he said. The central government's major mistake had been the marginalization of Darfur. The rebel movements had also harmed people on the ground, taking their money and their livelihoods. Dagalo reserved special scorn for the Zaghawa, who he blamed for camel-rustling and taking land for grazing their animals. The Zaghawa tribe is "made up of natural born robbers and thieves", who especially like to steal camels and sell them in Libya. Because the Rizeigat keep camels, they are more susceptible to this camel-rustling than their neighbors who raise cows or sheep, "you can't steal a cow and take it to Libya", he added. ¶4. (SBU) Prior to 1983, he said, there had been no contention between the two groups, and Darfur had been relatively free of weapons. But then, with the help of the central government (seeking to overthrow the Chadian Government),weapons and vehicles arrived from Libya and other countries and the tribes were pitted against each other. The Zaghawa had received heavy weapons. The Rizeigat sought to defend themselves and fortunately they were "a 100 percent warrior people while the Zaghawa were maybe 75 percent fighters while the rest," like the Fur, were not fighters at all, "about zero percent." When CDA asked if the Rizeigat had problems with Zaghawa from outside of Sudan, for example in Chad, Dagalo smiled and said, "They're all one tribe, no matter where they are." He noted the baleful influence of Libyan Zaghawa (from the Kufra Oasis) who urge the Libyan Government to support their Zaghawa brethren with arms and money in Darfur. -------------- ...BUT ARAB TRIBES SUSPICIOUS, AND WILL FIND SUPPORT WHERE THEY CAN -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Dagalo said that the Arab tribes in Darfur would insist on seeing tangible improvement in their status, developmentally, politically and militarily. CDA cautioned him that the Arabs could turn into "political orphans," abandoned by the international community - who would concern themselves with IDPs and humanitarian issues - and the central government. Many in the larger international community associated all Arabs with janjaweed; "no one will look after you," CDA said. The upcoming Libya talks required more than just the rebels' and the government's participation, CDA noted. They also required the presence of IDPs, Arab tribes and civil society; "there's no solution without your voices," he said. Dagalo noted that the Sudanese Government wants to keep the Rizeigat backward and illiterate to use as cannon fodder but "we know we have to settle down in villages and we have begun to do so." ¶6. (SBU) Dagalo said that the Arab tribes in Darfur were suspicious that the U.S. would come to Darfur and create another Iraq or Palestine, pitting non-Arabs against Arabs (the analogy being as the U.S. supposedly did with Kurds and Israelis). The Sudanese Government promoted this hostile interpretation of American motives. KHARTOUM 00001567 002 OF 002 They push the idea that the upcoming UNAMID mission is really an American invasion in disguise being sent to finish with the calumnied Darfuri Arabs. Without Arab participation in the peace process, and in development, Darfur would "explode" like those two countries. CDA reiterated that he would be more than happy to spend hours, days even, with Arab tribal leaders in Darfur to explain directly that U.S. interests were sincere, and that he was planning a trip to El Fasher with precisely this goal. ¶7. (SBU) CDA noted that when he first went to Darfur, he heard anti-government statements from virtually everyone, including government officials. Everyone had been worn down by the troubles there and the lack of development, he said. Sudanese officials say America is hated, "America may be hated in parts of the Arab world, but the government itself is hated in Darfur - that's worse!" The U.S. was the largest donor in Darfur, CDA added, and would like to transfer these hundreds of millions of dollars from humanitarian relief to real development, schools, and even scholarships, once there is real peace and reconciliation in Darfur. -------------- ARABS ARE KEY TO DARFUR SOLUTION -------------- ¶8. (SBU) "I think the government is playing games with both of us," Dagalo said. CDA agreed, saying that the true criminal wasn't necessarily someone like janjaweed figure Musa Hilal, but the entity that gave him the orders behind the scene. Hilal was a mere puppet who liked attention, Dagalo said, agreeing that those who funded him were culpable. Dagalo also pointed blame at SLM leader (and Zaghawa) Minni Minawi, who he accused of stealing thousands of camels from the Rizeigat and taking them to the desert. He was a thief in the presidential palace, he said. He sharply criticized pro-government stooges among Darfuri Arab tribesmen like Presidential Advisor Abdallah Ali al-Manar and former Air Force General Abdallah Safi al-Nur (both involved in the creation of the janjaweed) "who take money from Khartoum and do nothing for us." ¶9. (SBU) The Fur and the Arabs were the two most important parts of the Darfur solution, CDA told Dagalo. "But this regime doesn't let us participate," Dagalo said, because the regime feared giving power to the Arab tribes in Darfur. The Arabs made up 65 percent of Darfur, he said; "we and Abdul Wahid can solve the problem in three months!" If we were educated, we would rule all of Sudan. The Arabs needed American support, Dagalo continued, and a peace agreement that guaranteed their rights. The Arabs would never surrender on this point, he suggested, whether it meant allying with the international powers to garner such guarantees, or turning back to the Sudanese government. Speaking more broadly, he also cautioned that Darfuris would never let others exploit the region's natural resources, but would welcome American investment. He added that the GOS usually loots natural resources for the sole benefit of Khartoum without regard to local people; "we Arabs have nothing in Darfur while others grow rich." ¶10. (SBU) Comment: The meeting reinforced what we heard during S/E Natsios' meetings with Arab tribes in South Darfur (reftel); the Rizeigat recognize how they've been used and manipulated by the regime in Khartoum, and shut out of any power arrangements or peace negotiations. They finally seem to realize that they may have more in common with the humble and despised Fur than with their duplicitous "Arab brethren" in Khartoum. It is critical that the Arab tribes be represented at the upcoming talks in Libya. Without their participation, any agreement is doomed from the beginning. The fact that they are increasingly restless and dissatisfied (and looking for allies) is bad news for the Khartoum regime. End comment.