Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08DOHA132
2008-02-13 08:13:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Embassy Doha
Cable title:  

CHAD: DOHA EMBASSY OFFICER MEETING WITH CHADIAN

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CH SU QA 
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VZCZCXRO6631
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDO #0132/01 0440813
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 130813Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7582
INFO RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0013
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 0014
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0141
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0008
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0028
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000132 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CH SU QA
SUBJECT: CHAD: DOHA EMBASSY OFFICER MEETING WITH CHADIAN
UFDD REBEL SPOKESMAN

REF: A. DOHA 00112

B. SECSTATE 12030

Classified By: CDA Michael Ratney for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000132

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CH SU QA
SUBJECT: CHAD: DOHA EMBASSY OFFICER MEETING WITH CHADIAN
UFDD REBEL SPOKESMAN

REF: A. DOHA 00112

B. SECSTATE 12030

Classified By: CDA Michael Ratney for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: PolOff met at the Embassy February 11
with Jebren Issa, the Chadian rebel group "Union of Forces
for Democracy and Development (UFDD)'s" self-described
international spokesman. Issa, a naturalized British
citizen, asked for USG assistance in his group's cause
against the current regime of Chadian President Idriss Deby
Itno and claimed the USG was the first and only foreign
government he had been directed to approach. The UFDD, he
said, was seeking USG assistance in influencing a cessation
of French and Libyan interference in Chadian internal
affairs. He claimed direct participation by French military
special forces in combat operations against the United
Military Command (the triumvirate organization made-up of the
UFDD and the two other rebel groups) and warned of rebel
attacks against the French military in the event its forces
continued to collaborate with Chadian government forces.
Poloff told Issa not to contact the Embassy again, but that
we would contact him for any follow-up. END SUMMARY

CURRENT SITUATION
--------------


2. (S/NF) Issa stated the current situation in Chad was
dire and in need of quick USG intervention, since the U.S. is
the champion of democracy worldwide. He claimed the UFDD
currently pulled-back from an attack on the Presidential
Palace in N'Djamena and would not strike it because President
Deby held hundreds of kidnapped businessmen, senior political
party representatives and influential people at the Palace as
"human shields." He cited UFDD reports indicating President
Deby was injured in fighting with rebels and was transported
by French military forces back to the Presidential Palace.

FRENCH INVOLVEMENT
--------------


3. (S/NF) UFDD leadership claimed French Special Forces are
helping President Deby's military and were directly involved

in armed conflict in early February in the town of Masaqat,
variant Massaguet, 60km north of N'Djamena, and mid-February
outside the Presidential Palace. According to witnesses
cited by the UFDD, French forces were intertwined with
Government of Chad (GOC) forces in the subsequent government
retreat from Masaqat. Issa had no additional information on
exact dates or circumstances of the French involvement when
pressed for additional details. He did state that the UFDD
was not unwilling to target French forces if forced into a
corner. He claimed it was in France's best interest to keep
President Deby in power, since most of the country's industry
was controlled by French nationals or interests.

ROOTS OF CONFLICT
--------------


4. (S/NF) He stated the current conflict was started after
President Deby reneged on promises made during three
agreements signed in 2007 in Sirte, Libya, and supported by
Sudan, Libya, Chad and Gabon. The agreements were made
following renewed fighting after Deby changed the
constitution in 2006, effectively granting himself
dictatorial powers and giving him the means to crush
political dissent. After the third and final agreement was
signed circa November 2007, the GOC and UFDD agreed to a
power sharing deal with the appointment of a rebel Prime
Minister and the decision to integrate rebel forces into the
Chadian military beginning one month after the agreement was
signed. Leader of the UFDD, Mahamat Nouri, ordered his
subordinates to begin planning to overthrow Deby if a month
went by without GOC implementation of the agreement.
According to Issa, Nouri, a former Defense Minister, was
tired of the broken promises made by the Chadian President
and felt negotiations had failed. In addition, circa
September 2007, Mohammed Noor Abdul Karim, who was not a part
of UFDD, was lured back to Chad under the guise of being
named Defense Minister by Deby; weeks later he was forced-out
and sought refuge at the Libyan Embassy in N'Djamena. As of
late January 2008, Issa stated Karim remained at the Libyan
Embassy and forbidden from leaving by the GOC.

UFDD - NO SUDANESE CONTROL/INFLUENCE
--------------


DOHA 00000132 002 OF 002



5. (S/NF) Issa stated Mahamat Nouri was the overall
political leader of UFDD, with General Taher Wojje in charge
of UFDD military forces. He repeatedly denied Sudanese
government involvement in the UFDD's struggle, stating that
the UFDD's cause was being financed and led by donations from
Chadians from the northern, central and eastern parts of the
country. He also made repeated points that this was not a
tribal conflict, and that President Derby's sister supported
the UFDD.

USG ASSISTANCE/UFDD GOALS
--------------


6. (S/NF) After 30 minutes of talking about the need for
USG assistance, when asked what the U.S. should do, Issa
paused - almost taken aback - and rhetorically repeated the
question posed to him. Regaining his momentum, he stated the
UFDD wanted the USG to influence France and Libya immediately
to stop interference in Chad's internal affairs, and support
the UFDD's main goal of establishing a free and democratic
Chadian government. When asked about long-term USG assistance
and UFDD goals, he stated the UFDD wanted the USG to assist
in the development of democratic government and civic
organizations. He claimed the UFDD wanted to make English
the official language vice French, which he called a
backward, colonialist language compared to the
internationally spoken and economically viable English.

WHY QATAR, WHY NOW?
--------------


7. (S/NF) During the first part of the conversation, Issa
stated he was in town on business and had recently appeared
on Al-Jazeera Arabic and English television as the opposition
spokesman in debates on the current situation in Chad.
Embassy Doha PAO confirm he appeared on Al-Jazeera broadcasts
and was listed on multiple legitimate websites as the UFDD
spokesman, including the UFDD French/Arabic website
www.ufdd.org. He stated that because of French involvement,
the UFDD wanted to approach the USG to counter the threat.

JEBREN ISSA
--------------


8. (S/NF) Issa is a naturalized British citizen and
currently resides in Oxford, England. He was in Qatar
working for an American security contractor installing
nuclear material monitoring equipment for the Qatari
Government. Prior to moving to England in 2006, he lived and
worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia around the same time as the
UFDD General Tahir, who was serving as Chadian Ambassador in
Riyadh. While he did not have any business cards listing his
current role as UFDD spokesman, he provided a business card
from Saudi Arabia for his previous employer, Solutions Soft
Net, listing him as the Public Relations Manager. He is in
his mid-thirties and from the Toubou, aka Quran or Daza tribe.

COMMENT
--------------


9. (S/NF) Issa appears to be who he claims, and his
statements that he was directed to approach the USG by
Mahamat Nouri and UFDD leadership appear plausible. Embassy
assesses that press reporting indicating the UFDD and United
Military Command were being driven back to camps in eastern
Chad along the Sudanese border was the impetus for the UFDD
to reach out to the USG. Per refs, USG policy to support the
Chadian government vice the UFDD was officially conveyed to
the Qatari Government, and given USG posture towards the
rebels, no future Embassy contact with Issa is anticipated.


10. (U) Minimize considered.

RATNEY