VZCZCXRO9256
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHAE #0398 3201314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161314Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASMARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0597
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ
RHRMDAB/COMUSNAVCENT
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS ASMARA 000398 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E AND S/USSES 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SOCI PGOV SU ER
SUBJECT: EASTERN SUDAN OUTREACH CONCLUDES FIRST WORKSHOP 
 
REF: A. KHARTOUM 1214 
     ¶B. ASMARA 126 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Peacebuilding Center for the Horn of Africa 
(PCHA) successfully concluded the first week of a five-part 
workshop series for eastern Sudan civil society leaders.  A 
total of 24 participants traveled to Asmara to take part in 
the 10-day workshop, hosted by Dr. Taisier M. Ali, an exiled 
Sudanese professor who has taken residence in Asmara.  Dr. 
Ali founded the PCHA with the intention of promoting regional 
dialogue and solutions.  Since its inception, the PCHA has 
sponsored roundtable discussions, invited speakers from 
around the world, and has served as a meeting space for civil 
society leaders and political activists from the Horn of 
Africa region.  While in Asmara, the workshop participants 
engaged in group discussions and heard from guest lecturers, 
including representatives from the Government of South Sudan 
(GOSS) liaison office, resident Darfuris, and the Eritrean 
government's (GSE) Sudan advisor, Abdullah Jaber. 
Participants hailed from a variety of civil society 
organizations and political parties, including the SPLM, the 
Sudan Communist Party, and even one from the National 
Congress Party (NCP). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Although the PCHA encountered relatively little 
difficulty in putting the workshop together, the NCP 
prevented four students from attending the workshop, stating 
that the four were involved in demonstrations against the NCP 
and had destroyed government property.  The new head of 
security in eastern Sudan, Ayoub Abdulrahman (former 
Counselor at the Sudan embassy in Eritrea), is thought to be 
the person directly responsible for blocking the students' 
participation, Dr. Ali mused.  Despite the minor setback, the 
participants all arrived in Asmara and enthusiastically 
engaged in the workshop agenda. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Emboffs engaged with the participants as well. 
While the poloff gave a lecture on Rosa Parks and the 
Montgomery Bus Boycotts, drawing comparisons to Sudan's own 
Lubna Hussein (Ref A), the ambassador discussed future 
prospects for eastern Sudan after the 2010 election and 2011 
referendum.  The participants found the lecture on the Civil 
Rights Movement inspirational to their own political 
situation, and were particularly pleased with the Arabic 
translation of the initial letter sent around Montgomery to 
inspire collective action.  Although the participants were 
largely hopeful for the power of civil society to encourage 
political change, they admitted to the ambassador that 
violence would likely resume in the east if Darfur remained 
unresolved. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The next workshop is scheduled to take place in 
mid-December.  Dr. Ali aims to complete the five workshops 
before the 2010 elections, allowing the participants time to 
implement the lessons learned in Asmara.  Each workshop 
incorporates new participants in an attempt to allow maximum 
exposure to the workshop's resources. 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT:  The Eastern Sudan Workshop Series, now in 
its second year of activity (Ref B), is perhaps the only area 
where the USG, GSE, and NCP coordinate on a single 
initiative, the successful implementation of the Eastern 
Sudan Peace Agreement.  Despite minor roadbumps, such as the 
blocking of the four students from taking part in the 
workshop, the completion of the first workshop is a healthy 
demonstration of the power of civil society leaders to 
overcome political difficulties. 
McMULLEN