VZCZCXRO3149
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0129/01 0401258
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 091258Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4922
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1640
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2100

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000129 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2017 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PREF CD SU CRS
SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH NRF/JEM 
 
REF: A. NDJAMENA 99 B. NDJAMENA 70 
 
Classified By: S/CRS Charles Wintermeyer for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
 ¶1. (C)  Summary. The NRF has high ambitions for a commanders 
conference/political meeting scheduled for Abeche starting 12 
February.  However, there remain issues of who will attend 
and how much consensus they will reach.  Meanwhile, the NRF's 
renunciation of regime change (as recommended by Special 
Envoy (SE) Natsios) remains under discussion.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Tadjadine Bechin Niam, National Redemption Front 
(NRF) Secretary for Reconstruction and Development, and also 
its representative to the AU, met with Ambassador and EmbOff 
on 8 February, to follow up on their meeting of 30 January 
(Ref A). 
 
Commanders Conferences Still In Flux, High Expectations 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  Niam discussed a commanders conference now being 
planned for Abeche, eastern Chad, on 12 February, followed by 
a political meeting on 13 February.  The NRF has military 
leadership, but needs political leadership, he observed. 
This conference and meeting would be held under AMIS auspices 
and the NRF would invite observers.  Niam had another meeting 
that day, with the SLM, after which he hoped to have plans 
finalized.  He said the NRF had requested the GoC to 
guarantee safe passage to attendees, some of whom, he 
claimed, would be Darfurians traveling to the 
conference/meeting from Khartoum. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Overall, Niam expects 40-50 "high ranking" people to 
attend.  He also wants international observers and plans to 
invite them, including from the U.S. Embassy.  He believes 
that even if the conference/meetings are contentious, it is 
better to have disagreements out in the open and to be 
transparent. In addition to international observers, he wants 
to invite tribal elders, refugees, and IDPs. He claimed that 
Mahamet Ali, Minister of State and key Deby confidant, would 
probably be there, representing the GoC.  He also hopes the 
Norwegian Envoy for Sudan will attend. 
 
¶5.  (C)  He repeated that the SLM wants to have its own 
conference first (scheduled for Darfur), then meet with the 
NRF.  He said the SLM accuses the JEM of delaying the start 
of an NRF political movement.  Niam denied that is true and 
he hopes to start an NRF political movement at this 
conference. 
 
¶6.  (C) Niam hopes to have Abdul Shafi attend, and hopes he 
will join the NRF at that time.  He relayed that some other 
NRF members questioned why Abdul Shafi would attend since he 
was not in the NRF.  Niam's vision is that the Group of 19 
and other groups will have one or two days of meetings (not 
conferences) for the groups to talk among themselves.  Within 
the NRF, he is proposing a rotating chairmanship to assuage 
fears of JEM dominance.  He hopes that Adam Bakhit, or his 
delegate, will attend also.  He believes Bakhit is in Abeche 
now, and that his attendance is important. 
 
 
¶7.  (C)  Niam He sees JEM, SLM Group of 19 (G-19), and the 
Federal Party (headed by Ahmad Ibrihim Drieg) as the leading 
groups allied within the NRF now.  Drieg, he claimed, is with 
the NRF but has not formally joined yet, nor has any military 
forces.  Niam also wants Abdel Shafi to have the SLM/A join 
the NRF, which would bring the Fur ethnic group into the 
NRF's leadership structure.  However, he is concerned that 
Abdul Shafi and Drieg see each other as 'competitors' within 
the NRF, and it will be more difficult convincing them both 
to come on board.  Abdel Shafi, based on the size of the 
SLM/A and his position as heir apparent to Abdul Wahid, has 
indicated he wants a leadership role if he does join his 
group with the NRF. 
 
Other Players 
------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) He also discussed other personalities involved.  He 
claimed no contact with Minni Minawi, but that Minni was well 
aware of what is going on.  Abdul Wahid, the head of the SLM 
before it split up, is also no longer a serious player, 
having chosen the softer life of exile in Europe instead. 
Niam said that Sharif Harir is with the NRF, but has not 
formally declared which faction he identifies with. Niam 
claimed that one Abrecha (the JEM representative in El 
Fashir) had been appointed as the Vice Governor and Minister 
of Education in South Darfur.  Niam understood that Minni 
 
NDJAMENA 00000129  002 OF 002 
 
 
Minawi's group was given the governorship of West Darfur, and 
had heard rumors that Minni's Chief of Staff was not happy, 
and may pull out. 
 
Renunciation of Regime Change Still Being Worked On 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶9.  (C) The Ambassador pushed Niam on issuing a statement 
renouncing plans for regime change by force, which was one of 
SE Natsios' key points during his 19 January meeting with 
rebel leaders in Abeche (Ref B).  Niam replied the JEM is 
ready to make such a statement, but that the issue is still 
being discussed within the NRF.  He said he was trying to 
"market it" to the other groups and planned on bringing it up 
at the conference.  If the group still could not agree, the 
JEM might informally renounce regime change as a goal via an 
interview or press article, but any such comment would have 
to wait until after the conference, he said. 
 
Chadian Rebel Violence Last Week 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (C)  During the fighting at the border town of Adre on 
last week involving two days of shelling, he claimed the GoC 
captured 140 rebel prisoners. There are still 20 more wounded 
rebels in Adre, and the GoC captured 23 rebel Land Cruisers. 
Even though SCUD may have penetrated the GoC, Niam 
complimented President Deby on his good intelligence and 
wisely being defensive-oriented.  He claimed that during the 
Adre fighting, the GoS was preparing for a possible attack on 
Geneina by the NRF. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11.  (C)  Despite the high expectations Niam has for the 
upcoming conference, it remains very tentative and there are 
many variables.  Post will track closely and try to have 
EmbOffs attend the meeting if/when held in Abeche. 
 
WALL