Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KHARTOUM79
2008-01-21 12:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Khartoum
Cable title:  

SUDAN'S INTERIOR MINISTRY WANTS CLOSER COOPERATION

Tags:  PGOV PREL PTER SU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7227
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0079 0211254
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211254Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9740
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000079 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

AF/SPG, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN'S INTERIOR MINISTRY WANTS CLOSER COOPERATION
WITH US, MAYBE

REF: 07 KHARTOUM 1864

Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000079

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

AF/SPG, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN'S INTERIOR MINISTRY WANTS CLOSER COOPERATION
WITH US, MAYBE

REF: 07 KHARTOUM 1864

Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Sudan's new Minister of State for Interior,
Abbas Jumaa, seeks closer cooperation with the United States
in law enforcement, anti-terrorism and anti-drug efforts. A
native of Blue Nile State, Jumaa strongly urged greater U.S.
engagement, of every sort, in Sudan's marginalized border
areas of Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and Abyei. End summary.


2. (C) CDA Fernandez called on newly appointed Minister of
State for Interior, Abbas Jumaa, on January 21. Jumaa, an
SPLM regular formerly in charge of the party's relationship
with state chapters, was brought into government when the
SPLM ended its boycott of the Government of National Unity
(GNU) on December 27. A party loyalist, he replaces a corrupt
and ineffective SPLM turncoat, Aleu Aynieny Aleu Adod, who
succumbed to regime blandishments, in this key position. Adod
has been severely ill for much of the past year so the SPLM
has never had a trustworthy person in the Interior Ministry
since the CPA was signed in January 2005. Jumaa was a NCO in
the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) before joining the SPLA rebel
movement in 1986 and mostly fought in his home state of Blue
Nile. Although not one of the top leaders of the movement, he
is seen as a trusted, strong willed character.


3. (C) CDA began by congratulating the minister on his
appointment and thanking him for the continuing support of
the Interior Ministry and police in investigating the January
1 murder of two embassy employees from USAID. Jumaa said
that the Sudanese wanted even closer ties, especially in the
field of law enforcement and counter-terrorism. Combating
narcotics (mostly hashish and opium in Sudan) was also a
concern. CDA noted that upcoming teams that could visit
Sudan to provide specialized training in security issues
could be of interest to the Ministry and that we would
certainly remain in contact. He also noted the possibility of
an INL office being established in the Embassy within the
next few years and this also could be a point of contact for
the Ministry although that office's focus may be South Sudan.
Jumaa said that he was establishing a coordination office for
police in North and South Sudan "with a professional rather
than a political focus" so any help possible would be
welcomed.


4. (C) Jumaa noted that the Ministry was finally making
progress in bringing on a more diverse police force, with
more cadets from Sudan's marginalized areas. 2008 was the
first year that there had actually been any progress in doing
so. Since he came from one of those marginalized areas, he
wanted to encourage the "friends from the U.S., who have
always helped us" to increase their development assistance to
the "three areas" described in the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA): Abyei, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains (South
Kordofan). CDA noted that USAID was very interested in doing
just that and that the martyred USAID official John Granville
had led a team to Blue Nile recently for that very reason.
Jumaa said that the Saudis had given Sudan a major grant to
pave the 130 km road from the Blue Nile capital of Damazin to
Kurmuk in the southern part of the state. He also welcomed
greater American political engagement in solving the Abyei
conflict.


5. (C) Comment: Minister of State Jumaa is an engaging,
pro-American, breath of fresh air in a key Sudanese ministry
which has often been out of bounds to official Americans.
While the SPLM official's interest in greater engagement is
to be encouraged, the fact remains that Jumaa's superior,
Interior Minister Al-Zubair Bashir Taha, is an outspoken,
buffoonishly anti-American figure who called President Bush
and Secretary Rice "devils" (reftel),accused Washington of
arms-smuggling into Darfur and blamed the Jews for causing
the conflict in the troubled region. So like so many others
in the SPLM, Jumaa has his work cut out for him. End comment.
FERNANDEZ