VZCZCXRO8485
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0035 0100847
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100847Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9681
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, AF SE WILLIAMSON 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN-CHAD TENSIONS FLARE 
¶1. (SBU) Media and the UN reported that Chadian air force planes 
attacked Chadian rebel camps in Sudan near the villages of Goker and 
Wadi Radi 35 kilometers south of Geneina in West Darfur state on 
January 7.  This follows Chadian President Deby's statement January 
 
5 that Chad will pursue Chadian rebels inside Sudan. Deby accused 
GoS-supported rebels of attempting to destabilize Chad and creating 
an environment that would prevent the deployment of EU peacekeepers 
in Chad and UNAMID forces in Darfur. 
¶2. (SBU) Sudanese army spokesman Othman al-Aghbash made a statement 
January 8 that Chadian aircraft had bombed positions in west Darfur 
killing and wounding civilians.  According to press accounts, 
Al-Agbash charged that the Chadian attacks are backed by the West. 
Claiming that the volume of attacks exceeds Chad's capability, 
al-Agbash also charged that this indicated that western nations are 
conducting the attacks inside Sudan.  Al-Agbash denied that Sudan is 
harboring Chadian opposition elements, and warned that Sudan has the 
capability to defend against any Chadian aggression and that any 
Sudanese action will be proportional to Chadian attacks. 
¶3. (SBU) Sudan's State Minister of Foreign Affairs Al-Sammani 
Al-Wasila told the media January 8 that Chadian threats to break 
diplomatic relations with Sudan are "regrettable."  Al-Sammani 
claimed that Sudan had not supported Chadian rebels and claimed that 
the Chadian government needs to reconcile differences with its 
internal Chadian rebel movement. Al-Sammani stressed that any 
Chadian armed opposition was inside Chad. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Western Darfur Agricultural Minister Bashir Hamad told 
emboff January 8 that the GoS is supporting the Chadian rebels who 
are living inside Geneina.  Hamad claimed the Chadian government is 
"fully aware of this."  Hamad claimed that the precision of the 
Chadian nighttime aerial attacks, which he claimed had not resulted 
in any civilian casualties, was clear evidence that they have 
received western assistance. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: Reports of Chadian aircraft incursions into Sudan 
to attack Chadian rebels have mounted in the past few weeks.  To 
this point the GoS has only responded with increased rhetoric. 
While Chadian and Sudanese forces have clashed before, such as in 
April 2007 when reportedly 17 Sudanese and eight Chadian soldiers 
were killed, there are no reports as yet of the Chadian army 
mounting a ground offensive into Sudanese territory. Of course, both 
countries have supported rebels fighting their neighbor for years 
(that is how Deby came to power) and continue to support them. 
 
FERNANDEZ