VZCZCXRO3631
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2705 3241015
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 201015Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5291
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0066
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 002705 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG AND AF/SE 
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU UN CD ER NG LY
SUBJECT: FUR LEADER WARNS OF WORSENING CRISIS 
 
 
Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Sections 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  In a meeting with CDA Hume, Fur leader 
Abdulgassem Seif El Din described the disintegrating social 
fabric in Darfur, his unsuccessful efforts to unite the 
Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) non-signatories in order to 
strengthen their bargaining position with the government, the 
growing disaffection within Darfur's population toward rebel 
leaders, and the detrimental effect of outside forces on the 
crisis.  He also warned of growing support in Darfur for 
independence from Sudan and the prospect of the systematic 
killing of internally displaced persons (IDPs) by Arab 
militias.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Social Disintegration to Independence Movement? 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (C) In a November 16 meeting with CDA Hume, Abdulgassem 
Seif El Din, the former father-in-law of SLM leader 
Abdulwahid Al Nur, attributed the "complete disintegration of 
the social fabric" in Darfur to the absence of an effective 
security force.  He said that as Darfur had been forcibly 
integrated into Sudan in the last century, its population had 
never been made to feel "truly Sudanese."  Seif Al Din said 
that the Darfurians believed that the Sudanese government was 
interested only in the land, not the region's people, and 
that without an effective international peacekeeping force, 
the conflict would shift to a war for Darfurian independence. 
 
----------------------- 
Loss of Faith in Rebels 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Seif El Din noted that the people of Darfur were 
losing confidence in the armed rebel movements because they 
have not seriously pursued the major points that had formed 
the basis of their rejection of the DPA, such as compensation 
and Janjaweed disarmament.  He characterized the rebel 
leaders as "stubborn young men who think they're going to be 
the emperor of Sudan" and dismissed their public statements 
as "only good wishes and slogans."  El Nur had spent two 
months in late summer 2006 in Asmara attempting to convince 
Abdulwahid and Ahmed Abdul Shafi, another SLM leader, to 
overcome their differences and present a united negotiating 
front to the Sudanese government.  Describing his ultimate 
failure in this regard, El Nur said, "I was discussing with 
stones, not human beings." 
 
-------------------- 
Outside Interference 
-------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Seif El Din described two categories of "outside 
forces," which contributed to the worsening of the Darfur 
crisis.  The first was an alliance of Arabs from Northern 
Darfur with those of Niger, Chad, and Libya -- supported by 
elements within the Sudanese government.  The second was 
Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan al Turabi's 
attempts to use the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and 
the National Redemption Front (NRF) as a means to return 
himself to power by fomenting disunity within the Darfurian 
rebel movements and destabilizing the current National 
Congress Party (NCP) regime. 
 
-------------- 
Threat to IDPs 
-------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Finally, Seif El Din warned of the increasing 
probability that Sudanese government-sponsored Arab militias 
would begin to kill large numbers of IDPs throughout Darfur. 
He noted recent attacks in northwestern Darfur near Sirba 
over the last two weeks but provided few details.  (Note: 
According to separate DLO reporting, a November 11 attack on 
the village of Sirba left an estimated 30 dead and between 18 
and 40 wounded.  On November 13, Janjaweed and Sudanese 
government forces blocked an African Union Mission in Sudan 
(AMIS) investigative patrol from entering Sirba.  End note.) 
 
¶6. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
HUME