MAY 14 UPDATE ON SITUATION IN KHARTOUM AND DARFUR AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000732 DEPT FOR AF/SPG, A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/EX MEG KEETON AND STEVE TOY ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO AU UNSC SU CD AMGT ASEC CASC SUBJECT: MAY 14 UPDATE ON SITUATION IN KHARTOUM AND DARFUR AND EMBASSY SECURITY POSTURE A) KHARTOUM 722 B) KHARTOUM 725 KHARTOUM REMAINS CALM - - - - - - - - - - - ¶1. (SBU) There are reports of continued, sporadic firing in Omdurman during the night of May 13-14 and the Nile bridge connecting Omdurman with Khartoum-proper was closed briefly, but Khartoum remains generally calm four days after the May 10 JEM raid. Armed police and SAF continue to patrol the streets, but checkpoints have been withdrawn. The immediate vicinity of the Presidential Palace downtown remains blocked off. GOS RESTRICTS UNAMID FLIGHTS IN DARFUR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) The situation in Darfur is quiet, but uncertain. Although the El Fasher airport has reopened for commercial flights, as of May 14 the GoS is refusing to allow UNAMID flights to operate between El Fasher and Khartoum. This, as well as its refusal to allow any flights at all for the past two days, has severely hampered UNAMID operations, particularly its ability to provide rations and to transport troops and equipment. As a result, deployment schedules are falling behind. Several among UNAMID's leaders consider this GoS action as a not-so-subtle way to use the May 10 events to restrict UNAMID's freedom of movement. Such a restriction constitutes a violation of the February Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between UNAMID and the GoS, not the only such violation that the GoS has committed in the past ten days (ref A). JSR Adada, in Khartoum for meetings with GoS officials, reportedly is planning to raise the SOFA violations issue, but there is no assurance he actually will, as he has been loathe to do so in the past for fear of GoS reaction. CDA Fernandez will raise the issue in his May 14 meeting with Presidential Advisor Mustafa Ismail Osman (septel). GOS CHARGES FOREIGN COMPLICITY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (SBU) Presidential advisor Nafi ali Nafi and National Congress Party (NCP) Political Secretary Mandour al-Mahdi both announced that Sudan is halting negotiations with the JEM and with Abdul Wahid's SLM faction in response to the attack. Al-Mahdi said that talks would not be resumed with either "until the government has eliminated the rebellion in Darfur." Al-Mahdi claimed that Chadian military personnel had participated in the raid. He also charged that the rebels received intelligence support from unnamed Western (but understood to mean French) sources. The staff of the Chadian embassy has been given until May 20 to depart Khartoum. Sudan Airways also was ordered to suspend flights to N'jdamena and the branch of the Sudanese Agricultural Bank there was ordered closed. MINISTERS BRIEF PARLIAMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (SBU) On May 13, Minister of Defense Abdul Rahmin Mohammed Hussein and Interior Minister Ibrahim Mohammed Hamid briefed the National Legislature on the May 10 JEM raid. Defense Minister Hussein stated that the JEM force consisted of 170-180 vehicles, of which, he said, 68 were destroyed and 75 captured. According to Hussein, the SAF lost 91 soldiers and 17 police killed and two missing, along with ONE Land Cruiser. He reported that 30 civilians (including four foreign nationals - two Egyptians and two Senegalese) also died. Hussein charged that a JEM "fifth column" inside Omdurman had assisted the attackers in avoiding SAF defenses outside and entering the city. Local press reports that SAF performance was sharply criticized by parliamentarians and ONE MP called on Hussein to resign. Hussein offered to do so, should "the people" agree unanimously. DEATH OF BLACK BOOK AUTHOR AND IBRAHIM'S CLOSE ADVISOR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶5. (U) On May 14, local press highlighted the death in the May 10 attack of Jamali Hassan Jelaladin, "the Godfather of the Black Book" and a close advisor to JEM Chairman Khalil Ibrahim. An advisor for JEM's presidency, (often described as Khalil Ibrahim's "right hand man,") it is also widely believed that Jamali contributed to the anonymous "Black Book" secretly distributed in Khartoum in 2000 which strongly criticizes the regime, and details the imbalance of wealth and power concentrated in the North. ONE article, in the usually pro-government "Al-Rai Al-Aam," resembled an obituary, relaying Jamali's education, positions within JEM, and role in compiling the Black Book. The article states that Jamali's death constitutes the "biggest loss for Khalil," given his long history with Ibrahim, shared Islamic ideology, and position as ONE of the few non-Zaghawa leaders in JEM. KHARTOUM 00000732 002 OF 002 JEM PUBLISHES NEW STATEMENT AND VIDEO ON ITS WEBSITE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (U) On May 14, JEM updated its website with both a video of Khalil Ibrahim reportedly recorded before the Omdurman attack and a written statement on the attack labeled by JEM as "Operation Long Arm." (Note: Both the statement and video are available from sudanjem.com and a full translation of this statement and a transcription of the video have been sent to AF/SPG and the office of the Special Envoy. End Note.) In the 9 minute video posted on youtube.com, Khalil Ibrahim delivers a speech to approximately 100 JEM fighters at an unnamed location. In the video, Ibrahim states that "this government will fall in Khartoum on itself," while his supporters respond, "We will use all our force inside Khartoum!" Ibrahim claims at the conclusion of the video that JEM has support from Libya and Egypt all the way to El-Geneina, naming individual Darfuri leaders who have pledged their support to JEM. ¶7. (U) Also on May 14, an "important statement on 'Operation Long Arm' to the Sudanese Capital" appeared on JEM's website, signed by JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam. Dated May 12, the statement says that JEM attempted to achieve a "qualitative leap" in the armed struggle against the government which will send a strong signal to the regime "that has relished burning the marginalized without feeling the impact of this fire." According to the statement, JEM is "extremely satisfied at the outcome of the operation," especially as the government announced that the JEM attack was forthcoming and was unable to stop it. The statement also reports that Khalil Ibrahim is in good health, that the Chadian government is not behind JEM's operations, and that the GoS fabricated reports on the number of killed and captured JEM fighters. PRESIDENT BASHIR ADDRESSES PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶8. (U) On the morning of May 14, President al Bashir addressed a peaceful rally organized by the National Congress Party in support of the government in front of the Presidential Palace. Bashir charged that JEM leader Khahlil Ibrahim is implementing a foreign agenda and asked rhetorically who provided JEM with the weapons and vehicles it used to attack Omdurman. He repeated that the GoS will not engage JEM as a negotiating partner. Bashir thanked countries that stood with the GoS during the raid and especially thanked the SPLA for its assistance during the attack. EMBASSY RETURNS TO FULL OPERTATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶9. (SBU) Embassy Khartoum returned to full staffing on May 14. Chaired by CDA Fernandez, the Emergency Action Committee met the same morning. (EAC readout is being sent septel.) International and domestic flights are operating normally. The American School, which was closed on May 13, has returned to normal operations with the cancellation of afternoon extra-curricular activities only. Stores and shops in Khartoum are back to normal operations. Post's fuel and gas supplies have been topped off. FERNANDEZ