Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ASMARA160
2008-03-26 08:45:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Asmara
Cable title:
CHINESE REPORTEDLY FUNDING CHADIAN OPPOSITION
how-toVZCZCXRO4806 RR RUEHROV DE RUEHAE #0160 0860845 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 260845Z MAR 08 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY ASMARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9551 INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0035 RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000160
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR AF/SPG
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICAN WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SU CD CH ER
SUBJECT: CHINESE REPORTEDLY FUNDING CHADIAN OPPOSITION
REF: ASMARA 158
Classified By: AMBASSADOR RONALD K. MCMULLEN FOR REASON 1.4(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000160
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR AF/SPG
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICAN WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SU CD CH ER
SUBJECT: CHINESE REPORTEDLY FUNDING CHADIAN OPPOSITION
REF: ASMARA 158
Classified By: AMBASSADOR RONALD K. MCMULLEN FOR REASON 1.4(d).
1. (C) On March 13, DCM met with Amar Najm Eddine al-Jak
(Amar),a Khartoum spokesman for the Sudanese People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM),who had been spirited from Sudan
to Asmara by the SPLM after being arrested and tortured by
Sudanese National Security services (reftel). In the
meeting, Amar stated he was detained from November
2007-January 2008 in the Sudanese political prison of Dabak,
located in northern Khartoum. While in Dabak, Amar was
incarcerated in a shipping container with three men, two of
whom were Chadian opposition members.
2. (C) One of the Chadian prisoners, Hazaballah Ahmed Adam,
told Amar he had been arrested by Sudanese security in Darfur
in July and accused of spying for President Deby. Hazaballah
claimed that the Sudanese government was not, in fact,
funding the Chadian opposition. Rather, the Sudanese were
funneling money to the opposition from the Chinese, he
purported. According to Hazaballah, the Chinese were backing
the opposition in hopes of securing future oil concessions if
the rebels were successful in toppling Deby.
3. (C) The second Chadian prisoner, Harun Degai, told Amar he
was a former officer in the Chadian military and President
Deby's cousin. Harun said he had defected from the Chadian
army with 86 soldiers several months before. He had become
quickly disillusioned with Sudanese backing of Chadian
opposition groups, however. According to Harun, Sudanese
officials had assured each of the Chadian opposition leaders
that Sudan would support their bids to become Chad's new
President, a strategy designed to keep the Chadian opposition
quarreling and separated. Harun said the Sudanese had
arrested him for trying to unify the military commands among
these Chadian groups.
4. (C) Comment: The meeting with Amar was facilitated by Dr.
Taisier Ali, a respected exiled Sudanese academic who runs
the Asmara-based NGO, Peacebuilding Center for the Horn of
Africa (PCHA). Dr. Taisier and the PCHA staff clearly deemed
Amar's narrative to be highly credible. This cable has been
coordinated with Embassy Khartoum.
MCMULLEN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR AF/SPG
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICAN WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SU CD CH ER
SUBJECT: CHINESE REPORTEDLY FUNDING CHADIAN OPPOSITION
REF: ASMARA 158
Classified By: AMBASSADOR RONALD K. MCMULLEN FOR REASON 1.4(d).
1. (C) On March 13, DCM met with Amar Najm Eddine al-Jak
(Amar),a Khartoum spokesman for the Sudanese People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM),who had been spirited from Sudan
to Asmara by the SPLM after being arrested and tortured by
Sudanese National Security services (reftel). In the
meeting, Amar stated he was detained from November
2007-January 2008 in the Sudanese political prison of Dabak,
located in northern Khartoum. While in Dabak, Amar was
incarcerated in a shipping container with three men, two of
whom were Chadian opposition members.
2. (C) One of the Chadian prisoners, Hazaballah Ahmed Adam,
told Amar he had been arrested by Sudanese security in Darfur
in July and accused of spying for President Deby. Hazaballah
claimed that the Sudanese government was not, in fact,
funding the Chadian opposition. Rather, the Sudanese were
funneling money to the opposition from the Chinese, he
purported. According to Hazaballah, the Chinese were backing
the opposition in hopes of securing future oil concessions if
the rebels were successful in toppling Deby.
3. (C) The second Chadian prisoner, Harun Degai, told Amar he
was a former officer in the Chadian military and President
Deby's cousin. Harun said he had defected from the Chadian
army with 86 soldiers several months before. He had become
quickly disillusioned with Sudanese backing of Chadian
opposition groups, however. According to Harun, Sudanese
officials had assured each of the Chadian opposition leaders
that Sudan would support their bids to become Chad's new
President, a strategy designed to keep the Chadian opposition
quarreling and separated. Harun said the Sudanese had
arrested him for trying to unify the military commands among
these Chadian groups.
4. (C) Comment: The meeting with Amar was facilitated by Dr.
Taisier Ali, a respected exiled Sudanese academic who runs
the Asmara-based NGO, Peacebuilding Center for the Horn of
Africa (PCHA). Dr. Taisier and the PCHA staff clearly deemed
Amar's narrative to be highly credible. This cable has been
coordinated with Embassy Khartoum.
MCMULLEN