VZCZCXRO3681
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1112/01 1971317
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161317Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7909
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001112 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO AU CD SU
 
SUBJECT: Ceasefire Commission, July 4-11 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Brigadier General Rurangwa continued to chair the 
Ceasefire Commission (CFC) from July 4 to 11.  Several meetings 
focused on concerns about appropriate representation on the CFC at 
both the headquarters and the military group site (MGS) level.  The 
new force commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), 
Martin Luther Agwai, arrived on July 9.  While he visited with 
members of the First Chamber, regular CFC meetings were cancelled 
that day.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------- 
July 4, First Chamber 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Col. Seck, the team leader of the investigation of the 
vehicular incident in Labado on May 30, said that its field work was 
almost complete and that the team needed one last visit to 
Muhajeriya and Labado.  The Chairman consented.  No other business 
was concluded during the meeting.  Members were eager to adjourn to 
prepare for the celebration of Rwandan Liberation Day at camp Zam 
Zam. 
 
---------------------------- 
July 4, Second Chamber 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Members reviewed the investigation report on the April 10 
attack on a water escort patrol from MGS Sortony that led to the 
death of one Rwandan protection force soldier, the wounding of three 
other soldiers and two local children, and the theft of an AMIS 
vehicle and generator.  The investigation, which was undertaken by 
the Sector 4 AMIS staff, cited "overwhelming evidence linking the 
attack to SLA/Abdulsahif." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Sudan Liberation Army (SLA)/Non-Signatories Faction (NSF) 
representative Col. Abdou Abdulla Ismail contested the report, 
saying that it gave too much weight to the testimony of Arab nomads. 
 He questioned why the investigation was carried out by the Sector 
Headquarters acting as a "Sub-CFC" when no such entity existed under 
the N'djamena Ceasefire Agreement.  He accused AMIS of not 
interviewing an important witness - the commander who instigated the 
attack.  He said the commander had acted alone and without 
instructions from SLA/Abdulshafi.  The US representative asked 
whether SLA/Abdulshafi would issue a statement to that effect. 
Abdou replied that he only acted as a liaison with AMIS and had no 
authority to speak for the SLA/Abdulshafi leadership.  (Comment: 
Abdou is more aligned with SLA/Abdulwahid than with other 
non-signatory factions.  End Comment.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) The CFC Chairman retorted that had the witness been so 
important, the faction representative accompanying the investigation 
team should not have signed the report and returned to El Fasher. 
This assertion provoked Abdou to question yet again why SLA 
non-signatory representatives were not allowed to deploy to the 
group sites.  He accused  AMIS of continuing to prevent deployment 
of non-signatories--in violation of the N'djamena Ceasefire--at the 
behest of the Sudanese Government. 
 
--------------------------- 
July 9, First Chamber 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Incoming Force Commander Gen. Martin Luther Agwai addressed 
the First Chamber. Agwai said that he was not sure what role he 
played -- AMIS Force Commander, Commander of the Heavy Support 
Package or Commander of the Hybrid -- and felt he had a steep 
learning curve ahead of him.  He stressed the importance of teamwork 
in the CFC, respect for one another, flexibility, and innovation, 
and added that "it is important to go by the agreement but not be 
slaves to it."  Agwai concluded that with transparent and honest 
effort, peace would come.  (Comment: Agwai has already shown he is 
different from previous force commanders.  By July 18, he will have 
visited every group site in Darfur for briefings from his 
commanders.  End Comment.) 
 
---------------------------- 
July 11, First Chamber 
---------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Col. Seck announced that the team had flown to Muhajeriya 
over the weekend and had concluded its witness interviews.  The CFC 
Chairman asked that the final report be provided on Monday July 16. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Col. Mohamed Adam Abdallah said that he had not been paid 
his Monthly Subsistence Allowance (MSA).  He said the problem was 
that his group does not recognize the political leader of SLA/Free 
Will but still abides by the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and 
deserves the MSA.  Several members reminded Abdallah that MSAs were 
 
KHARTOUM 00001112  002 OF 002 
 
 
not a product of the DPA and that they were designed only to help 
representatives re-establish themselves at AMIS sites. 
 
---------------------------- 
July 11, Second Chamber 
---------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) representative General 
Mohamed Bashier said that he would be absent from the CFC for the 
next two weeks to support his movement during the talks in Tripoli 
July 21-23.  He said that SLA/NSF representative Abdou was going to 
announce the same intention but was absent for the meeting.  Bashier 
said that JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim's talks with AU Envoy Salim 
Ahmed Salim had been successful and that the July 21-23 talks would 
examine the DPA and address JEM's chief objections.  He did not know 
who would represent the SLA non-signatories in Tripoli.  There was 
still no agreed-upon leadership or common negotiating agenda among 
the factions, according to Bashier. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Bashier said that the Sudanese Government continues to 
undermine the movements.  He said a new faction had split from 
Gibril Abdulkareem and the National Movement for Reform and 
Development (NMRD) and had signed a ceasefire agreement July 6 with 
the Government for which it received four Land Cruisers (two in El 
Geneina and two in Misteria).  Bashier indicated that the new group, 
led by Mohamed Ahmed al-Bishara and augmented by Government forces, 
was masquerading as JEM. 
 
FERNANDEZ