VZCZCXRO4773
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0816 1491038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281038Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0934
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000816 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, SE WILLIAMSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM EAID MOPS KPKO SOCI UNSC SU
 
SUBJECT: NORTH DARFUR ATTACKS APPEAR TO TARGET SLA/MM 
 
REF: Khartoum 749 
 
¶1. (SBU) A spate of attacks in North Darfur has resulted in the 
deaths of at least 13 Sudanese Liberation Army/Minni Minawi (SLA/MM) 
rebels in the last week.  According to UN Department of Safety and 
Security (UNDSS), fighting erupted on May 20 in Kafoud between 
SLA/MM and SLA/Free Will (SLA/FW), after local authorities asked 
SLA/MM to vacate the town (NOTE: Kafoud village, approximately 60km 
north of El Fasher in North Darfur, has been the scene of much 
fighting during the month of May.  Most of the fighting has involved 
SLA/MM, which controls the area, and SLA/FW, dominated by Tunjur 
tribe members.  On May 2 a senior SLA/MM commander was shot and 
killed by suspected SLA/FW elements in Kafoud.  END NOTE). 
 
¶2. (SBU) UNDSS reports that combatants allied with Free Will 
approached Kafoud at night on May 20 and attacked positions held by 
SLA/MM, killing five.  Much like the IDP camp in Tawila, emptied 
after conflict earlier in the month (reftel), residents fled Kafoud 
to nearby hills and villages.  SLA/MM denied access to the 
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but its own medical 
team was able to treat 16 wounded persons and operate on six in Dar 
Salaam, including notable SLA/MM commander Juma Mendi, who was 
seriously injured in the attack.  The humanitarian response in 
Kafoud will begin only when fighting ceases, and will include a 
security assessment to be conducted by UNDSS. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to UNOCHA, two SLA/MM members were shot and 
killed by Arab militiamen on the street in Kabkabiya May 21 in broad 
daylight.  Additionally, on May 25, according to SLA/MM, six SLA/MM 
soldiers, traveling to Dar Salaam to visit their injured commander 
Mendi, were killed in a gunfight with Central Reserve Police near 
Gaour, southeast of El Fasher.  Two injured rebels were taken to Dar 
Salaam for treatment by the ICRC. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Adam Ali War, representative of SLA/MM in El Fasher, met 
with Fieldoffs on May 26 to discuss the situation and SLA/MM's 
response to the recent attacks.  Ali War acknowledged SLA/MM's 
recent losses and explained that SLA/MM is now a victim of a 
concerted Government of Sudan (GoS) effort to incite rival rebel 
groups to inflict significant casualties on SLA/MM.  Ali War hinted 
that Free Will has become a de facto GoS militia, driving brand new 
military vehicles and led by a GoS "captain" in military uniform 
(NOTE: SLA/FW interlocutors have denied this charge, but FieldOffs 
will follow up with them and report septel.  END NOTE).  Not 
optimistic about the chances for peace in Darfur this year, Ali War 
predicted the upcoming rainy season will bring further unrest, as 
armed groups in Darfur will continue to fight despite lack of access 
in certain pockets of Darfur. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Local word-of-mouth indicates government targeting of 
SLA/MM may not be the sole cause for recent unrest. Darfuris 
indicate the SLA/MM's checkpoints are a normal feature of life in 
Darfur; rebels form checkpoints on key roads and bridges in North 
and South Darfur, demanding tolls from all passing travelers.  There 
are reports of SLA/MM going house to house in occupied towns and 
villages, demanding "protection money." 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The only Darfur rebel group that currently 
participates in the Government of National Unity, SLA/MM may sit in 
the path of an oncoming "perfect storm."  While simultaneously 
losing support in Darfur and actively at odds with the GoS, SLA/MM 
appears vulnerable to circling rivals.  With the GoS announcing 
recently it did not intend to abide by any terms of the ceasefire 
agreement, and the recent JEM attack on Omdurman emboldening rebels 
throughout the region, Darfur's precarious political balance among 
rebels groups may tip, sending the region into further conflict. 
 
POWERS