VZCZCXRO4162
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0202 0411300
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101300Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9935
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000202 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO KDEM SU
SUBJECT: COMMUNIST PARTY SUSPENDS TALKS WITH NCP 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) announced 
January 14 the suspension of its coalition-building talks with the 
National Congress Party (NCP) following the murder of a student at 
Al-Gazeera University. The SCP claims that radical Islamist students 
associated with the ruling NCP were involved in the murder. The 
communist party said it would not resume talks with NCP until the 
perpetrators are brought to justice. End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a meeting with Poloff on January 22, Elshafei Khidir, an 
SCP political officer, claimed that SCP eyewitnesses at Al-Gazeera 
University saw students associated with NCP attack students 
associated with the Democratic Front(DF). Elshafei claimed several 
cars blocked an exit while students who are NCP members attacked the 
DF students with knives, killing one of them. (Note: The DF is a 
political front led by the SCP and composed of leftists who are 
sympathetic to the SCP, but not formally organized within the party. 
They often serve as a tool of the SCP in the syndicates, trade 
unions and students unions, where SCP once had a very strong hold. 
End note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) The communist Party is taking the alleged incident 
seriously enough to call off talks with the NCP. (Note: The talks 
had been initiated by NCP during the crisis between the two partners 
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), when both the NCP and 
the SPLM began a series of consultations with other parties in a bid 
to gain leverage. End note.) Khidir said his party's meetings had 
been positive; they agreed on the need for reconciliation as well as 
a road map to lead the country to peace and stability. His party's 
agenda during the consultation with the NCP included: the 
implementation of all signed agreements; reaching a democratic 
peaceful solution to Darfur problem; finalizing the elections laws; 
realizing the democratic transformation; and ending the hardships of 
the Sudanese people. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The NCP agreed to this agenda and the now-familiar 
six-member committee format - three from each side - was used to 
schedule future meetings and organize efforts to implement the 
agenda. The committee's first meeting was to occur Monday January 
¶14. However, following the murder of the student on Sunday, January 
13, the SCP suspended its participation. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Background: The Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) was founded 
in 1946. It was a significant force in Sudanese politics and one of 
the most influential communist parties in the Arab World until 1971, 
when an abortive coup-d'etat by pro-communist officers prompted 
military ruler Jaafar Nimeiry to launch a crackdown against the 
party. The SCP is led now by the elderly Mohammad Ibrahim Nugud and 
plays only a marginal role. It advocates a return to democratic rule 
and opposes the possible secession of the Southern Sudan. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: It is not clear precisely what happened at the 
university, and reportedly the murder is still under investigation. 
Although it seems possible this may have been a feud between 
students, the communist party is convinced the attack was 
politically motivated. The NCP is continuing its consultations with 
most northern parties in the lead-up to elections, and will likely 
reach out again to the Communist Party at some point to resolve this 
issue.  Political activity on university campuses is especially 
sensitive, given that two previous regimes were toppled by movements 
begun on university campuses.  Post will seek additional meetings at 
the university to follow up on this particular event but also other 
trends, which may foreshadow broader national political trends. 
 
POWERS