UPDATE ON AL-WATAN THREAT

S E C R E T KHARTOUM 000202

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
TERREP

DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/DSS/ITA, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC SOCI UN SU
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AL-WATAN THREAT

REF: KHARTOUM 00149

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


1. (C) On February 7, an article in a local newspaper in
Khartoum reported that a group of masked men visited
Al-Watan, an independent Arabic daily newspaper, claiming
that they were responsible for sending terrorist threats to
both the UN and the U.S. diplomatic mission in Khartoum. One
of the men claimed he was the coordinator general of the
group and gave his name as Aba Baseer. The group stated it
was being pursued by the authorities and was working
underground in Darfur and other regions to "combat foreign
intervention in Sudan."


2. (S) Post, through ORCA, has been aware of these threats
for several months. Specifically, post is aware of two
groups intent on possibly attacking the UN in Sudan. One
group is led by a Sudanese extremist in Khartoum who in the
past has expressed intentions to martyr himself. The second
group is led by an extremist based in the Nyala area of South
Darfur. Post does not have any specific information as to
the exact targets or timing of either group's operations,
though post believes the second group may be in the final
stages of its planning. Post also believes both groups may
have ties to Al-Qa'ida leaders in Pakistan.


3. (C) The recent UN announcement about a possible threat to
its facilities is based on information obtained directly by
the UN. Embassy Khartoum issued a warden message on February
1 regarding these threats as a result of the UN announcement.



4. (S) ORCA is working with its Sudanese counterparts to
identify these groups, their plans, and their intentions.
HUME