NEW SUDAN DCM ON CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS: "DIPLOMACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000350 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES NSC FOR GAVIN LONDON FOR POL - LORD PARIS FOR POL - KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF MOPS SU LY QA PINR CD SUBJECT: NEW SUDAN DCM ON CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS: "DIPLOMACY NOT VIOLENCE WILL RESOLVE CHAD-SUDAN ISSUES." REF: NDJAMENA 343 Classified By: P/E Andrea Tomaszewicz for reasons 1.4(b) and 1.4(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Sudanese DCM gave POLOFF August 18 an overview of Chad-Sudan issues, stressing that the GOS sought international pressure on JEM to return to Doha, and that the GOS itself was pressuring Chadian rebels to return to Chad. DCM expressed his desire to have Chad-Sudan relations "normalize" and wished for Sudanese refugees to return home now. Along the same lines, he wanted to improve Sudan's reputation in the international community and media and expressed his personal view that the removal of NISS DG Ghosh would help that cause. He provided more background on the shuttered Sudanese school in N'Djamena, but had no answers about its future. DCM is the most accessible and voluble Sudanese interlocutor we have had here in the past two years. He may well be a better source for local GOS perspective on Chad-Sudan issues than his amiable but normally taciturn and relatively inaccessible Ambassador. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Sudanese Deputy Chief of Mission Elzein Ibrahim Hussein met poloff August 18 for a courtesy call that turned into an exposition on a variety of Sudan and Chad related topics. Ibrahim, who arrived two months ago, is one of three diplomats at the Sudanese mission in N'Djamena. See bio in para 11. -------------- PRESSURE JEM TO RETURN TO DOHA -------------- ¶3. (C) Ibrahim wanted the international community, especially the USG, to put pressure on JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim to return to negotiations in Doha. Ibrahim stated that the GOS was ready and willing to actively negotiate with Khalil and JEM. At the same time, Ibrahim ranted about the GOC support to the JEM, claiming that JEM was throughout N'Djamena. "I pass them and know who they are," Ibrahim said, "but I have no mandate to speak with them." He was aware of recent rebel discussions, including JEM, in Tripoli but said that he did not have any information on the talks' progress. ¶4. (C) Ibrahim also claimed that the GOS was not conducting any "operations" in Darfur, only reacting to rebel activity. "When JEM brings its guns across the border, we have to defend ourselves," he stated. -------------- GOS WANTS CHADIAN REBELS OUT -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Ibrahim said that Sudan supported that Chadian rebel groups, but that the GOS wanted them to return to Chad. He said that the GOS felt that the return of the rebels to Chad would create stability in Chad, which the GOS felt was a precursor to peace in Darfur. -------------- CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS -------------- ¶6. (C) Ibrahim expressed his personal view that the removal of Salah Ghosh as NISS chief was a good move by his government. He noted that there was a terrible view of Sudan in the international community and media and felt that Ghosh's removal would improve Sudan's image. He said that he had heard Chadians react positively to the news. Despite the positive Chadian reaction, Ibrahim said that he felt tense about being a Sudanese in Chad and expressed concern about the gendarmerie, who are responsible for protecting diplomatic premises. He noted that there were only two diplomats at the Mission in addition to the Ambassador and that none would bring families until relations "normalized." ¶7. (SBU) Referring to the August 31 AU special session in Tripoli (Ref A),Ibrahim believed that President Bashir would NDJAMENA 00000350 002 OF 003 go for the September 1 Revolution Day. He acknowledged Tripoli's efforts to bring about "normalized relations" between Chad and Sudan but only hinted that something might emerge from the Tripoli visit. ¶8. (SBU) Ibrahim attended, along with Acting PAO and members of the dipcorps, some the GOC's August 11 National Day "dinner-dance," hosted by President Deby, that featured anti-Sudanese "patriotic songs," anti-Sudanese stand-up comedian remarks and other anti-Sudan elements. According to Acting PAO, Ibrahim seemed to take the event in stride and observed that "Chadians were not very civilized when it came to manners." -------------- REFUGEES SHOULD RETURN TO SUDAN NOW -------------- ¶9. (C) Ibrahim believed that the refugees in eastern Chad were being kept there by JEM, whose troops patrolled along the Chadian side of the border to keep the refugees from returning to Sudan. He thought that the refugees should return to Sudan now. "We have IDP camps and UNAMID. They can come back to one of the IDP camps." He was concerned, however, by the USG refugee resettlement program and felt that it wasn't necessary for a "short war" like Darfur, but only appropriate in situations with longer conflicts. He believed that the Chadian government was involved in choosing the refugees. He claimed that all the Darfuri refugees who had been resettled by the USG were all Zaghawa, because of their affiliation to the tribe of Chadian President Deby and JEM's Khalil Ibrahim. Only here for two months, Ibrahim said that he wanted to go to eastern Chad and visit the refugee camps, but only with MINURCAT's protection, as he didn't want hostile refugees turning on the Sudanese government's representative. He promised to share his reactions with poloff. -------------- - UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR SHUTTERED SUDANESE SCHOOL -------------- - ¶10. (SBU) Ibrahim felt that the closure of the Sudanese school in N'Djamena was a result of Ministry of Interior (MOI) officials taking personal action as a result of President Deby's public tirade against Sudan in the wake of the May 2009 rebel attacks. Ibrahim said that the closure came from a MOI directive to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),which limited the MFA's ability to take action. Ibrahim complained that the closure of the school -- grades kindergarten through high school level -- had left more than 1,000 Chadian students without access to education, since the language of instruction had been Arabic and these students were unable to integrate into the Chadian French-language schools. He said that the GOS had helped more than 20 students graduating with a baccalaureate to go to Khartoum to continue their studies. He added that the government's political party, MPS, would probably want to see the situation resolved soon so that out-of-school children did not turn into a lost vote for the party during elections. -------------- BIO: ELZEIN IBRAHIM HUSSEIN -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Elzein Ibrahim Hussein is not new to the Sudanese foreign service and looks to be in his mid-thirties. Having studied French at the University of Khartoum and in France, he claimed to be known as one of the francophones within his ministry. He stated that he served in Sudanese missions in Algiers and Paris before returning to Khartoum last year. He said that while most Sudanese diplomats like to go to Europe, "Mutriff" (referring to MFA U/S Mutriff Siddiq who had been discussed earlier in the conversation) had told him that he was a "strong one," needing Ibrahim to go to Chad. The conversation was in both French and English and, although Ibrahim claimed to have only studied "classical, not American" English in Sudanese schools, his levels of conversation and comprehension were quite high. He made a point of saying he used to watch Oprah and other American TV programs. He is from South Kordofan, is married and has children. His family lives in Sudan. NDJAMENA 00000350 003 OF 003 -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶12. (C) Ibrahim was eager to meet and seemed unable to keep from sharing his view points during the discussion. He apologized for bringing up such subjects during what he termed "a courtesy call." He repeatedly underscored that he and poloff were "the diplomats" and therefore were meant to work together, solving problems caused by "those gun-toters." He seemed a bit arrogant in general and condescending towards Chad in particular, but managed to concede that "at least it is better here than Somalia." DCM is the most accessible and voluble Sudanese interlocutor we have had here in the past two years. He may well be a better source for local GOS perspective on Chad-Sudan issues than his amiable but normally taciturn and relatively inaccessible Ambassador. END COMMENT. ¶13. (U) Minimize considered. NIGRO