VZCZCXRO5348
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0537 0981436
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071436Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0493
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000537 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO AU UN SU CD
SUBJECT: FORMER DARFUR GOVERNOR ON PEACE PROCESS 
 
REF: A. 2007 CAIRO 2560 
¶B. NDJAMENA 00127 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Former defense minister and former governor of 
North Darfur Ibrahim Suleiman Hassan told poloff that now is the 
time to push for peace in Darfur.  Hassan believes peace is 
achievable if the U.S. pushes Sudan to reach deals with the Darfur 
rebels and Chad.  He also said the U.S. should not be surprised if 
the NCP remains in power for another 20 years. End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Meeting with Poloff on April 6, longtime National Congress 
Party (NCP) member, former Minister of Civil Aviation, and former 
governor of North Darfur General Ibrahim Suleiman Hassan 
characterized the security environment in Darfur as a morass.  He 
observed that the government, having gone too far in its military 
intervention, created a mess that will take fifty years to resolve. 
(Note: Hassan expressed his opposition to the war in Darfur early on 
and left the NCP regime in 2003 when he was fired as Governor by 
Al-Bashir. End note.)  Hassan said that there is an opening for 
diplomatic intervention with greater UNAMID presence in Darfur.  He 
urged the international community to push for negotiations to 
capitalize on UNAMID's presence. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Hassan, the Sudanese Government now 
understands that military operations in Darfur will only generate 
international condemnation, and is therefore looking for a political 
solution to the crisis.  He expressed the view that the Darfur 
rebels are likewise motivated to begin negotiations because a viable 
peace process will reverse the growing perception that the rebel 
movements are little more than bandits.  He observed that average 
Darfurians are fed up with both the GoS and the Darfur rebel 
commanders. Hassan believes these factors will help lead to a peace 
agreement, but he said it is necessary for the U.S. and other 
international actors to engage more aggressively.  Hassan noted that 
a lasting peace deal in Darfur also involves a resolution of 
hostilities between the NCP in Sudan and Deby in Chad.  Hassan urged 
that the U.S. engage with the NCP and Deby on this point as well. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Once active in the NCP, Hassan said he no longer identifies 
with the party or its leaders. When asked about the current concerns 
of the NCP, Hassan stated that they are most afraid of the 
International Criminal Court (ICC), viewing it as a legitimate 
threat to their hold on power. Hassan said that while the NCP 
"fears" the southern referendum in 2011, the NCP is preparing to 
govern for the next twenty years - and Hassan believes they will 
most likely do so. 
 
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Bio Note 
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¶5. (SBU) General Hassan served for 36 years in the Sudanese Armed 
Forces (SAF), reaching the post of Minister of Defense. A native of 
Darfur, Hassan returned to serve as Governor of North Darfur from 
2001 to 2003. Although nationally well-respected, Hassan fell from 
the upper echelon of the NCP after opposing military intervention in 
Darfur. Notably, Hassan ordered the arrest of Janjaweed leader Musa 
Hilal in 2002, and was nicknamed "the godfather of the rebels" by 
goveQment-owned media after accusations of tacitly supporting the 
armed movements in Darfur. Now in poor health, Hassan is inactive 
within the NCP, and returned to Khartoum in November 2007 after four 
months of surgery and recuperation in Cairo.  CDA Fernandez met with 
General Hassan in Cairo in 2007 (ref a). 
 
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Comment 
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¶6. (SBU) Though no longer an influential voice on Darfur affairs, 
General Hassan knows a great deal about Darfur, Sudanese politics in 
general, and the NCP in particular.  He was not particularly 
forthcoming about NCP party dynamics, presumably preferring not to 
dwell too much on his former NCP affiliation.  Hassan is correct 
that the international community will need to engage more directly 
to force the government and rebels toward a comprehensive peace 
agreement in Darfur.  Unfortunately with a dysfunctional JMST team 
in place, there is currently a lack of leadership and vision on how 
to engage the parties. 
 
FERNANDEZ