AU SUMMIT -- AF ACTING A/S CARTER MEETS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 000319 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND AF/SPG E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019 TAGS: PREL AU XA SU CD SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT -- AF ACTING A/S CARTER MEETS WITH CHADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: AF Acting Assistant Secretary Phillip Carter, joined by Sudan Programs Group Director Tim Shortley, met February 2 with Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Mahamat Faki on the margins of the African Union Summit. Carter asked Foreign Minister Faki and the Government of Chad (GoC) to pressure the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to withdraw from the South Darfur town of Muhajariya. Allam-mi said it was not a Chadian affair, as the town of Muhajariya is 600 kilometers from the Chad/Sudan border and the rebels did not come from Chad in spite of what the Government of Sudan says. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Carter noted the grave situation in the South Darfur town of Muhajariya, which was occupied by JEM rebel forces two weeks ago adn which Government of Sudan forces announced a 24-hour notice before beginning bombing. There are 159 Nigerian UNAMID troops in town who have been ordered by UNAMID headquarters to hold their ground. They are protecting a large number of internally displaced persons. He asked Faki and the GoC to urge the rebels to withdraw from the town, as there is a high risk of large civilian casualties. ¶3. (C) Faki said the Governments of Chad and the United States are friends. He spoke to Embassy N'Djamena Ambassador Nigro before departing to Addis and had discussed the situation in Darfur. The Darfur problem has lasted too long, and Chad is suffering as a result of the insecurity and the overflow of refugees. Chadian President Deby has pressed Sudanese President Bashir to solve the problem by the end of ¶2009. However, the GOS does not respect its agreements. Meanwhile, Sudanese security services are financing rebels to attack the Deby regime, and has accused Chad of supporting the JEM effort to capture Muhajariya. "How can that be?" Faki asked rhetorically. "Muhajariya is 600 kilometers away from the border." He believes Bashir is trying to dramatize the situation because of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. "Why didn't Bashir start bombing on January 15, when the rebels were already there? He is using this to blackmail the international community." ¶4. (C) Faki said Chad supports the Doha process and all peace efforts. Neither the GOS nor JEM are operating in good faith and both sides are seeking to make the situation worse to position themselves for the negotiations, with an eye on the ICC. Faki said President Deby has delivered this message to JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim many times. When asked if he would transmit the message that the USG would like him to urge JEM again, Faki said with a shrug, that he would. When asked if the GoC would consider issuing a statement condemning the violence and urging both sides to pause so that negotiations could take place, Faki refused. He said repeatedly: "We have nothing to do with this. It's not our affair." He grew quite heated when asked whether or not Khalil Ibrahim was residing in N'Djamena. Carter tried to impress upon him that hostilities in Muhajariya, no matter how far it was from the border and no matter what the extent of Chadian support for JEM, would have a deleterious effect on Chad/Sudan relations, but the furtherest Faki would go was to offer that if the African Union were to issue a statement, Chad would support. ¶5. (U) Acting A/S Carter approved this message. YAMAMOTO