VZCZCXRO6893
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0399/01 0771233
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171233Z MAR 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0241
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000399 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF S/E WILLIAMSON, AND AF/SPG 
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM SU
SUBJECT: SLA/MM STUDENTS TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE CENSUS 
 
REFS: A. KHARTOUM 383 
 
¶B. KHARTOUM 381 
¶C. KHARTOUM 372 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) SLA/Minni Minnawi (SLA/MM) student supporters reject the 
census and are organizing campaigns against it at universities in 
Darfur as well as in SLA/MM political offices.  Regarding university 
politics, the students described NCP harassment including freezing 
of student body elections at El Fasher University - which leaves the 
institution without a student body government. End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
SLA/MM STUDENTS TO LAUNCH CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE CENSUS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶2. (SBU) On 12 March, four SLA/MM university students and graduates 
along with an SLA/MM party rep told poloff that the time is not 
right for a census in Darfur.  They claimed that they would use 
their control over the student body at the University of El Fasher 
to spread the word about boycotting the census and would launch 
campaigns against it. The students said they intend to use their 
university colleagues to "carry the message" to the Darfuri populace 
about not participating and pledged to have weekly forums at the 
university and at their SLA/MM office in order to get their message 
out. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The students echoed sentiments that are widespread across 
Darfur - the census cannot go forward given the instability of 
Darfur and the number of people who are displaced.  One student 
explained that the population of Darfur has historically been 6 
million, but it is currently less because of the number of refugees 
and displaced. They explained the importance of the census to 
determining wealth and power-sharing at a national level and 
proposed postponing the census until security in Darfur improves and 
people return to their villages. They outlined the problems with 
conducting the census in Darfur: a) armed movements in many areas 
will not allow census enumerators to move around freely and b) the 
number of refugees in Chad, Central African Republic, Ghana and 
other locations will lead to an inaccurate count of the true 
population of Darfur.  An inaccurate census will lead to "greater 
conflict and more fighting", they said. 
 
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ON ELECTIONS 
-------------- 
¶4. (SBU) The SLA/MM students said that their movement does not 
accept the draft electoral law because it does respect nor promote 
equality among parties.  They said that having a census and 
elections now is "meaningless" for the people in Darfur and 
predicted that after elections, Sudan will suffer a violent fall-out 
like the one that besieged Kenya.  They claimed that the SLA/MM is 
organized and ready to participate in elections, but will not do so 
because the GoS is forcing both an undemocratic census and elections 
on the people of Sudan. One student said that if the GoS were to 
commit itself to implementing the DPA, SLA/MM would be more willing 
to participate in elections.  The students claimed that 95 percent 
of Darfuris support SLA/MM and said that the movement is not 
"intimidated by the elections."  If the SLA/MM were to participate, 
the students claimed the movement would win Darfur.  However their 
official stance is to call for a delay of the elections. (Comment: 
The students' assertion that the vast majority of Darfurians support 
Minawi's faction - which is clearly not the case - calls into 
question the credibility of their other statements. End Comment.) 
 
----------------------------- 
EL FASHER UNIVERSITY POLITICS 
----------------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) When discussing politics at the University of El Fasher, 
one student pulled out stacks of forms registering students as 
SLA/MM supporters.  Although the student body is 6000, the student 
claimed that only 1500 students are politically active and out of 
that 1500, 1000 are SLA/MM supporters.  The other 500 
politically-active students mostly support the SPLM, Umma or the 
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). They said that the NCP has a small 
number of supporters at the University of El Fasher.  The students 
said that the SLA/MM has a substantial following at the University 
of Nyala and University of Zalengei as well.  They claimed that 
Sudanese National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) personnel 
routinely arrest and torture SLA/MM students at universities across 
Darfur and Kordofan.  They explained that just two months ago, the 
SLA/MM student group at the University of Nyala held a forum where 
they discussed the DPA. SLA/MM students were subsequently arrested 
and detained by NISS.  Some were not allowed to re-enroll in the 
University.  The students claimed that other political party student 
groups have forums at the universities but do not suffer the same 
 
KHARTOUM 00000399  002 OF 002 
 
 
treatment. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The University of El Fasher student said that the GoS 
constantly monitors the student political groups at that university 
and seeks to derail coalitions between opposition parties.  There 
are 30 students elected to the student government at the University 
of El Fasher, but the school has not had elections since the year 
2000 and therefore has no student government in place.  The students 
explained that the NCP intentionally freezes elections at 
universities if they believe that opposition parties will win.  The 
NCP has also been known to rig elections at some universities in 
order to win the majority of the student government seats.  The 
students said that opposition party coalitions are normal at 
universities, but that the NCP student group does not coalesce with 
other groups - as the NCP wants to have a strict majority. 
 
¶7. (SBU) At the University of El Fasher, SLA/MM has established a 
coalition with the SPLM, New Sudan Forces, and independents.  The 
students claimed that the NCP attracts student voters by giving away 
mobile phones and other hot commodities.  The students explained 
that it is a stigma for students to be aligned with the NCP, so they 
will only align with the NCP when there is a financial incentive to 
do so.  In some cases, the NCP will offer to pay tuition fees or 
other expenses for students if they register as NCP.  [NOTE: One 
student said that at a university in Blue Nile State, elections have 
been frozen for 13 years.  Additionally, two students were not 
allowed to graduate for two years because of their involvement with 
opposition party functions. END NOTE.] 
 
¶8. (SBU) The University of El Fasher student said that the GoS uses 
tactics of terrorism to intimidate students at his university.  Just 
one year ago, the Sudanese police stormed into the girls' dorm and 
harassed female university students.  He said that the SAF is 
present at the University of El Fasher and has heavy weaponry inside 
the university campus.  This is a tactic that the GoS uses to 
intimidate students into not supporting student opposition parties 
and rallies.  "The NCP knows that a majority of Sudanese citizens 
oppose them, therefore they must apply tactics of intimidation and 
fear in order to stay in power," said one student. 
 
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Comment 
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¶9. (SBU) The NCP's strategies for keeping a tight hold on university 
politics seem to be the same throughout the country - harassment, 
alleged torture, arrest, and bribery (ref B).  University politics 
in Darfur are even more contentious than in other regions of the 
country due to the current conflict and political situation in the 
region.  Although the NCP cannot strong-arm and quash all rebel 
movements in the area, it maintains an overwhelmingly militaristic 
and intimidating presence in the universities, where it manages to 
stamp out alternative views through shutting down political forums, 
freezing elections, and keeping students from re-enrolling or 
graduating. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The SLA/MM students echoed the political statements made by 
their leader Minni Minawi on the census - that it should not go 
forward given the situation of displacement and insecurity in 
Darfur.  The students are using their student supporters to speak 
out against participation in the census and to hold university 
forums rejecting census participation.  Although the general 
population of Darfur rejects having a census at this time, this move 
signals that it is not only the older population (especially the 
native administration) that rejects the census, but the younger 
population whose feelings follow closely behind. 
 
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 
------------------- 
¶10. (SBU) Of the students we spoke with, one is the Secretary 
General of SLA/MM at El Fasher University, the second is a graduate 
of the University of Bakht Al Ruda (150 km South Khartoum), the 
third and fourth students are graduates of the University of Imam Al 
Mahadi in Jezera Abba (near to Kosti).  The party rep is Ahmed 
Hassan Bahar who represents SLA/MM in the North Darfur Legislative 
Council. End note.] 
 
FERNANDEZ