VZCZCXRO4061
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0732/01 1351228
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141228Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0812
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000732 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/EX MEG KEETON AND 
STEVE TOY 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO AU UNSC SU CD AMGT ASEC CASC
SUBJECT: MAY 14 UPDATE ON SITUATION IN KHARTOUM AND DARFUR AND 
EMBASSY SECURITY POSTURE 
 
 
A) KHARTOUM 722 
B) KHARTOUM 725 
 
KHARTOUM REMAINS CALM 
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¶1.  (SBU) There are reports of continued, sporadic firing in 
Omdurman during the night of May 13-14 and the Nile bridge 
connecting Omdurman with Khartoum-proper was closed briefly, but 
Khartoum remains generally calm four days after the May 10 JEM raid. 
 Armed police and SAF continue to patrol the streets, but 
checkpoints have been withdrawn.  The immediate vicinity of the 
Presidential Palace downtown remains blocked off. 
 
GOS RESTRICTS UNAMID FLIGHTS IN DARFUR 
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¶2.  (SBU) The situation in Darfur is quiet, but uncertain.  Although 
the El Fasher airport has reopened for commercial flights, as of May 
14 the GoS is refusing to allow UNAMID flights to operate between El 
Fasher and Khartoum.  This, as well as its refusal to allow any 
flights at all for the past two days, has severely hampered UNAMID 
operations, particularly its ability to provide rations and to 
transport troops and equipment.  As a result, deployment schedules 
are falling behind.  Several among UNAMID's leaders consider this 
GoS action as a not-so-subtle way to use the May 10 events to 
restrict UNAMID's freedom of movement.  Such a restriction 
constitutes a violation of the February Status of Forces Agreement 
(SOFA) signed between UNAMID and the GoS, not the only such 
violation that the GoS has committed in the past ten days (ref A). 
JSR Adada, in Khartoum for meetings with GoS officials, reportedly 
is planning to raise the SOFA violations issue, but there is no 
assurance he actually will, as he has been loathe to do so in the 
past for fear of GoS reaction.  CDA Fernandez will raise the issue 
in his May 14 meeting with Presidential Advisor Mustafa Ismail Osman 
(septel). 
 
GOS CHARGES FOREIGN COMPLICITY 
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¶3.  (SBU) Presidential advisor Nafi ali Nafi and National Congress 
Party (NCP) Political Secretary Mandour al-Mahdi both announced that 
Sudan is halting negotiations with the JEM and with Abdul Wahid's 
SLM faction in response to the attack.  Al-Mahdi said that talks 
would not be resumed with either "until the government has 
eliminated the rebellion in Darfur."  Al-Mahdi claimed that Chadian 
military personnel had participated in the raid.  He also charged 
that the rebels received intelligence support from unnamed Western 
(but understood to mean French) sources.  The staff of the Chadian 
embassy has been given until May 20 to depart Khartoum.  Sudan 
Airways also was ordered to suspend flights to N'jdamena and the 
branch of the Sudanese Agricultural Bank there was ordered closed. 
 
MINISTERS BRIEF PARLIAMENT 
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¶4.  (SBU) On May 13, Minister of Defense Abdul Rahmin Mohammed 
Hussein and Interior Minister Ibrahim Mohammed Hamid briefed the 
National Legislature on the May 10 JEM raid.  Defense Minister 
Hussein stated that the JEM force consisted of 170-180 vehicles, of 
which, he said, 68 were destroyed and 75 captured.  According to 
Hussein, the SAF lost 91 soldiers and 17 police killed and two 
missing, along with one Land Cruiser.  He reported that 30 civilians 
(including four foreign nationals - two Egyptians and two 
Senegalese) also died.  Hussein charged that a JEM "fifth column" 
inside Omdurman had assisted the attackers in avoiding SAF defenses 
outside and entering the city.  Local press reports that SAF 
performance was sharply criticized by parliamentarians and one MP 
called on Hussein to resign.  Hussein offered to do so, should "the 
people" agree unanimously. 
 
DEATH OF BLACK BOOK AUTHOR AND IBRAHIM'S CLOSE ADVISOR 
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¶5. (U) On May 14, local press highlighted the death in the May 10 
attack of Jamali Hassan Jelaladin, "the Godfather of the Black Book" 
and a close advisor to JEM Chairman Khalil Ibrahim.  An advisor for 
JEM's presidency, (often described as Khalil Ibrahim's "right hand 
man,") it is also widely believed that Jamali contributed to the 
anonymous "Black Book" secretly distributed in Khartoum in 2000 
which strongly criticizes the regime, and details the imbalance of 
wealth and power concentrated in the North.  One article, in the 
usually pro-government "Al-Rai Al-Aam," resembled an obituary, 
relaying Jamali's education, positions within JEM, and role in 
compiling the Black Book.  The article states that Jamali's death 
constitutes the "biggest loss for Khalil," given his long history 
with Ibrahim, shared Islamic ideology, and position as one of the 
few non-Zaghawa leaders in JEM. 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000732  002 OF 002 
 
 
JEM PUBLISHES NEW STATEMENT AND VIDEO ON ITS WEBSITE 
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¶6.  (U) On May 14, JEM updated its website with both a video of 
Khalil Ibrahim reportedly recorded before the Omdurman attack and a 
written statement on the attack labeled by JEM as "Operation Long 
Arm."  (Note:  Both the statement and video are available from 
sudanjem.com and a full translation of this statement and a 
transcription of the video have been sent to AF/SPG and the office 
of the Special Envoy.  End Note.)  In the 9 minute video posted on 
youtube.com, Khalil Ibrahim delivers a speech to approximately 100 
JEM fighters at an unnamed location.  In the video, Ibrahim states 
that "this government will fall in Khartoum on itself," while his 
supporters respond, "We will use all our force inside Khartoum!" 
Ibrahim claims at the conclusion of the video that JEM has support 
from Libya and Egypt all the way to El-Geneina, naming individual 
Darfuri leaders who have pledged their support to JEM. 
 
¶7.  (U) Also on May 14, an "important statement on 'Operation Long 
Arm' to the Sudanese Capital" appeared on JEM's website, signed by 
JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam.  Dated May 12, the statement says 
that JEM attempted to achieve a "qualitative leap" in the armed 
struggle against the government which will send a strong signal to 
the regime "that has relished burning the marginalized without 
feeling the impact of this fire."  According to the statement, JEM 
is "extremely satisfied at the outcome of the operation," especially 
as the government announced that the JEM attack was forthcoming and 
was unable to stop it.  The statement also reports that Khalil 
Ibrahim is in good health, that the Chadian government is not behind 
JEM's operations, and that the GoS fabricated reports on the number 
of killed and captured JEM fighters. 
 
PRESIDENT BASHIR ADDRESSES PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLY 
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¶8.  (U) On the morning of May 14, President al Bashir addressed a 
peaceful rally organized by the National Congress Party in support 
of the government in front of the Presidential Palace.  Bashir 
charged that JEM leader Khahlil Ibrahim is implementing a foreign 
agenda and asked rhetorically who provided JEM with the weapons and 
vehicles it used to attack Omdurman.  He repeated that the GoS will 
not engage JEM as a negotiating partner.  Bashir thanked countries 
that stood with the GoS during the raid and especially thanked the 
SPLA for its assistance during the attack. 
 
EMBASSY RETURNS TO FULL OPERTATION 
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¶9. (SBU) Embassy Khartoum returned to full staffing on May 14. 
Chaired by CDA Fernandez, the Emergency Action Committee met the 
same morning.  (EAC readout is being sent septel.)  International 
and domestic flights are operating normally.  The American School, 
which was closed on May 13, has returned to normal operations with 
the cancellation of afternoon extra-curricular activities only. 
Stores and shops in Khartoum are back to normal operations.  Post's 
fuel and gas supplies have been topped off. 
 
FERNANDEZ