SRSG ANGELO ON CHAD-SUDAN, CHAD REBELS, AND DIS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000368

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/C AND S/USSES
NSC FOR GAVIN
LONDON FOR POL - LORD
PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UN PKO LY SU CD
SUBJECT: SRSG ANGELO ON CHAD-SUDAN, CHAD REBELS, AND DIS
SUCCESSES

REF: NDJAMENA 355

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) MINURCAT SRSG Angelo told Ambassador August 31 that
he had taken the initiative to engage with the GOC on
Chad-Sudan normalization issues and had presented the GOC
with a list of graduated confidence building measure, which
Sudan SRSG Adada also would present to the GOS. Angelo said
that he estimated that some 1,000 Chad rebels had returned to
Chad since last year, not the 3,000-5,000 the GOC claimed,
but still a substantial number. The SRSG also said that he
expected to sign a Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with
the GOC before long, as soon as contentious but not
insurmountable tax issues had been resolved and that the DIS,
with UNPOL support and with GOC security apparatus
cooperation, were proving increasingly effective, for which
he cited examples. Angelo reiterated his desire to see the
U.S.military advisors on the MINURCAT staff increase from two
to eight and promised to ensure that the request was
implemented expeditiously.


2. (SBU) Angelo said that his main interlocutor with the GOC
on Chad-Sudan was FORMIN Faki, whom he described as the most
intelligent of President Deby's close advisors; "the only one
who could tell Deby things he might not want to hear," and
"the only one who knew how to put into words that Deby could
understand" such otherwise unpalatable issues and facts.
Even so, it would be difficult to move the GOC to action
vis-a-vis Sudan, because no one was yet willing to "champion"
the idea of Chad-Sudan normalization as a strategic GOC goal.


3. (SBU) It is very good news, we judge, that the SRSG is
getting involved in the Chad-Sudan normalization issue and we
will try to support his efforts, as they parallel those of SE
Gration and the USG in general. Angelo's most urgent
problems continue to be with his PKO bureaucracies in New
York rather than with Chadian authorities, with whom he
continues to build relationships of confidence and trust.
Even the GOC's still-limited willingness to engage with the
SRSG on Chad-Sudan normalization reflects its increasing
comfort-level with Angelo as well as an alternative the
engaging with the AU, which the GOC considers unreliable,
pro-Sudan, and Arab-oriented. END SUMMARY.

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MINURCAT TAKES ON
CHAD-SUDAN ISSUES
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4. (SBU) MINURCAT SRSG Victor Angelo told Ambassador August
31 that he had taken the initiative to engage with the GOC on
Chad-Sudan normalization issues and had presented the GOC
with a list of "graduated" confidence building measures,
which SRSG Adada also would present to the GOS; more
substantial measures, such as border monitoring, would
follow. Angelo outlined some of them: Cessation of
propaganda, opening of border points, low-level cross-border
"visits," for instance, were modest first steps. Angelo said
that his PKO's involvement with the Chad-Sudan problem was
the result of the approval of his Strategic Plan that
included promoting "political dialogue" between Chad and
Sudan. Such promotion would contribute to MINURCAT's mandate
to protect civilians in eastern Chad and would require no
additional resources of any kind.


5. (SBU) Angelo told Ambassador that his main interlocutor
with the GOC was FORMIN Moussa Faki Mahamat, whom he
described as the most intelligent of President Deby's close
advisors; "the only one who could tell Deby things he might
not want to hear," and "the only one who knew how to put into
words that Deby could understand" such otherwise unpalatable
issues and facts. Even so, Angelo said it would be difficult
to move the GOC to action vis-a-vis Sudan, because no one was
yet willing to "champion" the idea of Chad-Sudan
normalization as a strategic GOC goal. Ambassador suggested
that Angelo consider approaching National Mediator Abderamane
Moussa, who, as a trusted "wise man" without further
political ambitions, might play a useful role in bringing

NDJAMENA 00000368 002 OF 002


things to Deby's attention and recommending irenic courses of
action. Angelo said he would arrange to talk to the National
Mediator.

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CHAD REBELS
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6. (SBU) Angelo said that he estimated that some 1,000 Chad
rebels had returned to Chad since last year, not the
3,000-5,000 the GOC claimed, but still a substantial number.
Angelo said that he knew that the GOS had not permitted Ahmat
Soubiane to return to Sudan. The SRSG said that he
understood that substantial numbers of Chad rebels had
relocated deeper inside Sudan and away from the Chad border
but did not know if they did so on their own initiative or
under Sudanese Government supervision.

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DIS INCREASINGLY EFFECTIVE
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7. (SBU) Angelo said that the DIS, with UNPOL support and
with GOC security apparatus cooperation, were proving
increasingly effective. He cited the DIS officer publicly
decorated last week by MINURCAT for superior achievement.
The DIS officer had lost a leg successfully defending an NGO
ambulance from heavily-armed bandit attack. Angelo said that
MINURCAT had begun to form "task forces" consisting of DIS,
UNPOL, and GOC security personnel, to attack specific
problems. Angelo cited the success of one such team in
re-apprehending two rapists who had escaped from custody. He
said that another team was focused on foiling the efforts of
a band of "refugee bandits" operating out of refugee camps
near Goz Beida.

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SOMA AND MORE U.S. MILADS
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8. (SBU) The SRSG also said that he expected to sign a
Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with the GOC before long,
as soon as contentious but not insurmountable tax issues had
been resolved. Angelo pronounced his basic relationship with
the GOC as "very good" and "very constructive," despite the
inevitable relatively minor obstacles that had to be overcome
along the way. "Sometimes in situations like this, he said,
"you just have to be patient." Angelo reiterated his desire
to see the U.S.military advisors on the MINURCAT staff
increase from two to eight and promised to ensure that the
request was implemented expeditiously. He added that the
slots for all eight were already planned and carefully
calculated to give the U.S. MILADs insight into all areas of
the MINURCAT force's operations.

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COMMENT
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9. (SBU) It is very good news, we judge, that the SRSG is
getting involved in the Chad-Sudan normalization issue and we
will try to support his efforts, as they parallel those of SE
Gration and the USG in general. We continue to support the
assignment of more U.S. MILADs to MINURCAT staff. Angelo's
most pressing problems continue to be with his PKO
bureaucracies in New York, rather than with Chadian
authorities, with whom he continues to build relationships of
confidence and trust. Even the GOC's still-limited
willingness to engage with the SRSG on Chad-Sudan
normalization reflects its increasing comfort-level with
Angelo as well as an alternative the engaging with the AU,
which the GOC considers unreliable, pro-Sudan, and
Arab-oriented.


10. (U) Minimize considered.
NIGRO