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Viewing cable 07NDJAMENA434, SLM UNITY MEETING YIELDS STILL ANOTHER FACTION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07NDJAMENA434 2007-05-23 14:42 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Ndjamena
VZCZCXRO4221
RR RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0434 1431442
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231442Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5309
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0405
UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF PREL UNSC CD SU
SUBJECT: SLM UNITY MEETING YIELDS STILL ANOTHER FACTION 
 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  The attempt to reunify the Sudan 
Liberation Movement (SLM) at Ameri in Darfur last month 
appears instead to have succeeded in giving birth to yet 
another splinter group.  According to its spokesman, speaking 
with us on May 22, the newly christened Revolutionary 
Military Council embraces over half of SLM's membership, 
though includes few of the SLM's political representatives 
based in or often seen passing through Chad.  The new group, 
we were told, seeks a political settlement, but does not 
accept the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) as the basis for 
talks.  END SUMMARY 
 
2,  (U)  At the request of Dr. Sharif Harir, an SLM political 
leader now visiting Asmara, Musa Tageldin, representative for 
the SLM's new Revolutionary Military Council, briefed the 
Ambassador and Poloff May 22 on the results of the meeting in 
April of SLM representatives in Ameri.  Musa also responded 
to the Ambassador's points urging Darfur political talks on 
the basis of the DPA under the leadership of the United 
Nations and the African Union (AU).  Musa was accompanied by 
his colleagues Abdul Jabar Beshir and Ahmad Mohammed Geri. 
 
3,  (SBU)  Musa said the gathering in Ameri established a 
Transitional Revolutionary Council under the presidency of 
Abdullah Yaya.  It also set up a new military organization 
under Abakar Kado and adopted decisions committing the group 
to respect for human rights.  According to Musa, Sharif Harir 
had been offered the position of president, but agreed 
instead to assume responsibility for international affairs. 
SLM commander Ahmed Abdulshafi had been fully involved in the 
meetings, but backed out when his bid to be named president 
failed.  He is now seeking to organize his own faction. 
Other SLM leaders or field commanders, including Khamis 
Abdullah, Adam Bakheit, Adam Shogar, and Abdelwahid Muhamed 
El Nur, stayed away entirely. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Despite the failure to bring the SLM's disparate 
factions together in Ameri, Musa said, unification of the SLM 
remains the group's objective.  He claimed that the meeting 
had obtained as much as 65 percent of that objective.  Talks 
on bringing other prominent SLM representatives into the new 
group continue.  Once that is accomplished, the intention is 
to come together under a "big umbrella" with the Justice and 
Equality Movement (JEM), Ahmed Diraige''s Federal Democratic 
Alliance, various Arab groups, and others. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Musa said the goal is negotiation of a 
comprehensive peace agreement.  The group seeks a political 
solution to the conflict in Darfur, but also knows it must be 
strong on the ground.  It supports political talks and the 
lead role of the United Nations.  It sees the AU as a fact of 
life that must be dealt with, though it cannot be trusted. 
Musa argued that the DPA is unacceptable as the basis for new 
talks, since it had been rejected by Darfur's people and has 
never been implemented.  Reminded by the Ambassador of the 
consequences those seen as obstacles to the peace process 
would face, Musa backed off, indicating that Sharif Harir, 
the group's lead negotiator, would have to address that 
issue.  Musa also reported he felt no pressure from the 
Chadian government to leave Chad, notwithstanding commitments 
in the agreements in Tripoli and Riyadh about withdrawing 
support for rebel movements. 
 
6.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  The goal of SLM unity remains as remote 
as ever. Reaching a consensus among the various groups on a 
common negotiating position will not be easy to achieve 
either, but has a better chance of succeeding than efforts 
aimed at unification.  END COMMENT 
WALL