SUDAN: 2008 Country Report on Terrorism

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001828 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR S/CT - R SHORE, NCTC, and AF/SPG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO PTER KHLS AEMR SU SUBJECT: SUDAN: 2008 Country Report on Terrorism REF: STATE 120019 -------------- General Assessment -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Sudan remains a cooperative partner in the Global War on Terror (GWOT),and the outlook for continued cooperation is positive. During the past year, the Sudanese government continued to pursue terrorist operations directly involving threats to U.S. interests and personnel in Sudan. Sudanese officials have indicated that they view their continued cooperation with the USG as important and recognize the benefits of U.S. training and information-sharing. While the CT relationship remains solid, hard-line Sudanese officials continue to express resentment and distrust over actions by the USG and question the benefits of their continued cooperation. Their assessment reflects disappointment that Sudan's cooperation on CT has not resulted in its removal from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Despite this, there is no indication at this time that the Sudanese government will curtail its current level of CT cooperation despite bumps in the overall bilateral relationship. -------------- Safe Haven Assessment -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Al-Qaida-inspired terrorist elements, elements of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),HAMAS, and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) remain in Sudan. In light of the continuing hybrid UN-AU deployment to Darfur, various terrorist threats against this mission have emerged, and the Al-Qaida leadership has called for jihad against UN forces in Darfur. In the early hours of January 1, 2008, attackers in Khartoum sympathetic to Al-Qaida shot and fatally wounded two U.S. Embassy staff members: an American and a Sudanese employee, both of whom worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Sudanese authorities cooperated closely with agencies of the U.S. government in investigating this terrorist crime. Five alleged conspirators were arrested on February 1 and put on trial for murder on August 31. Their trial was ongoing at end of 2008. Other extremist groups also have threatened attacks against Western interests in Sudan. The July 14 request by International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo for an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges related to atrocities committed in Darfur has further inflamed tensions. Therefore, the terrorist threat level remains critical in Khartoum and Darfur, and potentially other parts of Sudan. -------------- Terrorist Groups/Organizations -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Elements of designated terrorist groups remain in Sudan. With the exception of HAMAS, whose members the Sudanese government considers to be freedom fighters rather than terrorists, the government here does not appear to openly support the presence of extremist elements in this country. The Sudanese government has taken steps to limit the activities of these organizations. For example, Sudanese officials have welcomed HAMAS members as representatives of the Palestinian Authority (PA),but have limited their activities to fundraising. The Sudanese government has also worked hard to disrupt foreign fighters from using Sudan as a logistics base and transit point for Jihadists going to Iraq. However, gaps remain in the Sudanese government's knowledge of and ability to identify and capture these individuals. There is some evidence to suggest that individuals who were active participants in the Iraqi insurgency have returned to Sudan and are in a position to use their expertise to conduct attacks within Sudan or to pass on their knowledge. There is also evidence that Sudanese extremists participate in terrorist activities in Somalia, which the Sudanese government has also attempted to disrupt. ¶4. (SBU) The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony continued to operate from its base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and threaten the tri-border area (DRC, Sudan, and Uganda). The Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) has worked to mediate peace between the LRA and the Government of Uganda; by the end of 2008, however, Kony had failed to sign the Final Peace Agreement. Following Kony's repeated failure to sign a draft peace agreement, on December 14 the Ugandan Peoples Defense Force, with cooperation from the GoSS and DRC, attacked LRA bases along the border of South Sudan and the DRC. As of late 2008, this Ugandan military operation against the LRA continued. -------------- Foreign Government Cooperation -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Sudanese officials regularly discuss counterterrorism issues with U.S. counterparts. Sudan is generally responsive to international community concerns about counterterrorism efforts. ¶6. (SBU) Embassy Khartoum Point of Contact is Economic Officer John Struble. His e-mail address is strublejw@state.gov and his telephone numbers are 249-183-774-700 (Embassy) and 249-912-167-881 (cellular phone). ASQUINO