SUDAN REBELS: DEMARCHE TO TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000513 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/C STATE FOR S/USSES DECDEF FOR DASD HUDDLESTON 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 PGOV SU CD SUBJECT: SUDAN REBELS: DEMARCHE TO TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPS REF: NOVEMBER 2 NIGRO-HUDSON E-MAIL AND PREVIOUS -------------- U.S. MESSAGE -------------- ¶1. (SBU) DCM, accompanied by DATT and RSO, delivered points provided in ref message to members of the Technical Committee representing SLA and URF factions November 3, stressing that S/E Gration commended progress thus far, including via the road map signed in Addis Ababa, toward unification under one banner. DCM made clear that the U.S. remained committed to helping spur unification, but stressed that our concerns on timing were mounting. She pointed out that the proposed Technical Committee conference was only two weeks away, and that although we had just received budgets deemed crucial for moving people, we had yet to receive other transportation details. She reminded the group that the U.S. was prepared to reach out to third countries to try to secure funding for outstanding items on the budget. She advised the group that the U.S. would not be in a position to continue to devote our own resources to the reunification effort unless the movement participants themselves took full responsibility for organizing their members and the conference at the time the group had previously chosen. -------------- CONFERENCE LOGISTICS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The SLA and URF reps -- Babiker Abdallah, Tajelldin Bashir Niam, Abdallah Jafar Khalil, and Mahmoud Mohammed Korina -- insisted that they were entirely committed to unification, to attending the Technical Committee conference, and to peace in a unified, stable Sudan. They thanked the U.S. for agreeing to provide food and water for travelers, but also claimed that delays had occurred in Washington over whether funding could be provided for some necessary items, including fuel and spare parts allowing vehicles to travel great distances. Babiker and Niam stressed that their groups were indeed armed groups, adding that the U.S. had agreed to ask the Swiss and French to pick up funding for items the USG could not provide to such entities. An additional problem had been that "logistics with the house you rented for us, including lack of internet connectivity" had slowed things down, ¶3. (SBU) DCM told the reps that the USG sought on an immediate basis a complete list of names of those who needed to travel to the conference, as well as details of their transportation needs. Babiker and Niam advised that the various movements who were part of the rebel unification effort presently needed to engage in individual, faction-specific, internal pre-consultations, perhaps involving 500 people. Once those pre-consultations had occurred -- with the help of the international community if possible -- attention could shift to the November 15-25 conference itself. The main unknown as far as conference participation was concerned was who from the Diaspora would attend. Before settling on a finalized conference list, the group hoped to receive clarity on how much assistance the Swiss and French were likely to provide toward fuel costs. Babiker indicated that his organization had asked the Swiss to shift funding for three consolidation workshops planned for some point in the future to the pre-consultation effort, but the Swiss had told him they "were waiting for a green light from the U.S." --- JEM --- ¶4. (SBU) Niam then raised the divisive stance of Khalil Ibrahim -- who he said was presently in N'Djamena -- pointing out that Khalil had posted a statement on a website earlier in the day to the effect that he did not want a unification conference, did not want to go to Doha, and preferred to resume fighting. Jafar added that the JEM was threatening NDJAMENA 00000513 002 OF 002 the entire peace process, seemed bent on undermining the efforts of others to pursue peace, and might even pose a direct physical threat of members of the Technical Committee in N'Djamena -- "we are afraid we will meet him here," said Jafar. "He may commit crimes here." ¶5. (SBU) Niam said that in addition to seeking international financial support for the Technical Committee unification conference and pre-consultations, the SLA and URF factions also sought USG assistance in "protection from the JEM"; in obtaining the release of SLA/AW commander Yousef Ahmet Yousef (currently held by the JEM); and in convincing President Deby to meet with the SLA and URF team (Deby had met with them three times in the past). Perhaps S/E Gration could come to N'Djamena in the coming days to work with Deby and the Technical Committee in the aim of delivering all Sudan rebels, including the JEM, to an event in Doha, said Naim. ¶6. (SBU) DCM asked whom the SLA and URF usually met with in the GoC when Deby was unavailable. Babiker said that officials from the Interior Ministry and the Secretary General of the MFA normally were willing to receive them, but "people below Deby do not have power." -------------- WAY FORWARD -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Korina reiterated that the pre-consultation process with individual movement members still in the field needed to proceed before final decisions could be made about the conference. DCM reiterated that S/E Gration's patience was wearing thin, and that the USG did not want to continue to invest efforts in a process that was going nowhere. She recommended that the group immediately provide the USG with a list of conference participants, including identity details and information on where they needed to travel from. Niam and Babiker acknowledged that rounding up the right Diaspora reps might in the end not be so important as identifying key players from the field, "so if necessary, we will forget about Diaspora participation." They noted that they would have a larger meeting among themselves this evening to try to nail down information on who could attend the conference. This would involve trying to contact potential JEM defectors currently in Tripoli. If allowed to proceed as they wished with pre-consultations, "maybe more than ten groups will come to the conference," said Naim. DCM asked that a rep of the present gathering get in touch with Embassy N'Djamena November 4 to let us know whether they had put together their list. She stressed that the group could always reach out to S/USSES staff or to Embassy Khartoum as well. NIGRO