KHALIL IBRAHIM PRESENTS -- "THE NEW JEM"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000162 SENSITIVE SIPDIS KHARTOUM FOR SE GRATION STATE FOR AF/C AND AF/USSES NSC FOR GAVIN AND HUDSON LONDON FOR POL -- LORD PARIS FOR POL -- D'ELIA AND KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF AU LY CD SUBJECT: KHALIL IBRAHIM PRESENTS -- "THE NEW JEM" REF: A. KHARTOUM 597 ¶B. NDJAMENA 147 NDJAMENA 00000162 001.2 OF 003 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) JEM Chief Dr. Khalil Ibrahim told SE Gration May 2-3 that his recently enhanced and expanded movement was the "New JEM" whose top priority was peace, not conquest. Khalil claimed to represent over 200 Sudanese tribes, offered proof that a number of former commanders of separate rebel movements had for the moment joined his cause. Senior SLA/Unity commanders and Fur leaders were part of Khalili's 40-person delegation -- representing the JEM Executive Board. Khalil claimed that only the "New JEM" had effective fighting forces on the ground in Darfur and Kordufan, dismissed remaining rebel movements as insignificant ("internet movements"),and said that the only way to the Doha negotiating table was via unity with the JEM. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) During May 2-3 discussions with SE Gration, Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, Chairman of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) presented his group as the "New JEM" whose top priority was peace. Ibrahim brought 40 members of JEM's executive board to the May 2 meeting with the SE. He claimed that 22 different tribes were represented on the Board and that the "New JEM" included representation from over 200 Sudanese tribes. See Para 8 for the delegation list of JEM Executive Board members who met with the Special Envoy. -------------- JEM WAY OR THE HIGHWAY -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Khalil was adamant that his group should be considered the only legitimate Sudan rebel movement, and the only group to be allowed to negotiate with the Government of Sudan in Doha. He said that he would welcome any rebels to the table so long as they were aligned with JEM. He decried GOS efforts to recognize other rebel groups and invite them to Doha, saying that the GOS's goal was to divide the Darfuri people. He expressed concern about efforts by the Government of Qatar (GOQ) to welcome all rebel factions to the table. Ibrahim termed rebel groups not aligned with the JEM "internet movements," claiming that they had no troop strength. JEM was now the only strong, qualified movement on the ground, he said. "We have disarmed all the others," he asserted -------------- EITHER YOU ARE WITH US... -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Khalil asked former SLA/Unity commanders to stand and testify to their loyalty to the JEM; seven people of the 40-member delegation did so. Suleiman Mohamed Jamous, former SLA/Unity leader, along with former SLA commanders Mansour Arbab Younis and Mohamed Bilail Issa, all spoke passionately about their decision to abandon the SLA for the JEM. Jamous noted that he had tried for two years to unify various SLA factions; having become convinced that a unified SLA would never exist, he opted to join JEM, bringing 70 percent of the SLA force with him. Younis then claimed to have brought the rest of the SLA's fighters to join the JEM. Jamous asserted that only those "leaders" living abroad still referred to themselves as belonging to the SLA, which had no strength on the ground in Sudan. Younis spoke dismissively of Abdul Wahid, whose decision to live in Paris kept him far from the suffering of the people in Darfur. ¶5. (SBU) Mohamed Abdalla A/Khaliq portrayed himself as a representative of the Fur tribe, stating that Fur leaders had taken a collective decision to join JEM. He said that JEM offered an opportunity for the Darfuri people to determine their own fate. He spoke of an upcoming conference for all Fur people sponsored by JEM. Khalil asserted that the "New JEM" represented the Fur as well as the Zaghawa. -------------- OR WE DISARM YOU NDJAMENA 00000162 002.2 OF 003 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Khalil replied to a question about Minni Minnawi's SLA faction by stating that this group had been disarmed by the JEM. (NOTE: Ref A appears to confirm this. END NOTE.) -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The presentations of the rebel leaders who accompanied Khalil to N'Djamena appeared staged. Still, we know Suleiman Jamous to be a man of his word in a climate where this characteristic is rare, so it seems to us that JEM's uptick in credibility among anti-GOS elements is a factor to be dealt with. Khalil clearly reveled in the opportunity to portray himself and his group as the unifying rebel force in Darfur -- a powerful, peace-focused New JEM. His mercurial negotiating tendencies -- agreeing to a position he subsequently disavows, demanding concessions for taking a step he initially offered to carry out for free -- remain unwelcome reminders of his personal style as leader of old JEM. Khalil spent much of his floor time in the course of 16 hours of negotiating with SE Gration over a two-day period repeating that the JEM had long since satisfied its commitments under the February Goodwill agreement, whereas the GOS had failed to fulfill its promises. END COMMENT. ¶8. (U) SE Gration cleared this message. -------------- DELEGATION LIST -------------- ¶9. (U) JEM members gave us this delegation list in advance of the May 2-3 meetings. Additional JEM members, including JEM press and security, attended the discussions. -- Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Mohamed: Chairman -- Dr. Tahir Adam El Faki: Speaker of the Legislative Council -- Ahmed Adam Bakhit: Governor of Darfur Region, Deputy Chairman -- Ibrahim Al Maz Deng: Governor of the Region of South Sudan, Deputy Chairman -- Al Wathiq Billahi al Hamadabi: governor of the Northern Region, Deputy Chairman -- Nour Addaem Bahri Salama: Acting Governor of the Region of Kurdofan -- Bushara Suleiman Nour: Economic Advisor to the Chairman -- Eng. Mansour Arabab Younis: Secretary for Presidential Affairs -- Eng. Suleiman Mohamed Jamous: Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs -- Adam Ali Shogar: Secretary for Political Affairs -- Ahmed Mohamed Togod Lissan: Secretary for Negotiations and Peace Affairs -- A/Rahman Ibrahim Banat: Secretary for Social Affairs -- Suleiman Sandal Haggar: Secretary for Security and Intelligence -- Dr. Gebreil Ibrahim Mohamed: Secretary for Foreign Affairs -- Izzaddeen Yousif Bejji: Secretary for Financial Affairs -- Hassan Haroun Adam: Secretary for Construction and Development -- Mohamed Bilail Issa: Secretary without Portfolio -- Dafalla Bakhit Yagoub: Secretary without Portfolio -- Jamal Hussain Mohamed: Wali of West Darfur -- Suleiman Fadl El Karim Humaidan: Wali of West Kurdofan -- Aamir Allikah Kuku: Wali of South Kurdofan -- Mohamed Abdalla A/Khaliq: Wali of Jabal Marra -- Seifannasr Attijani Haroun: Wali of North Darfur -- Babiker Abbakar Hamadain: Deputy Secretary for Presidential Affairs -- Yazid Dafalla Rasshash: Deputy Secretary for Students and Youth -- A/Salam Ahmed Issa: Member of the Political Secretariat -- Jarunnabi A/Karim: Member of the Political Secretariat -- Najmaddeen Musa A/Karim: Member of the Political Secretariat -- Banani Al Ameen: Member of the Political Secretariat -- Suheib Ibrahim Abbakar: Special Secretary to the Chairman ¶10. (U) Minimize considered. NDJAMENA 00000162 003.2 OF 003 NIGRO