VZCZCXRO6301
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1167/01 2161340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 031340Z AUG 08 ZDK CTG NUMEROUS SERVICES
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1498
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 001167 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SU
SUBJECT: DARFUR CIVIL SOCIETY CONFERENCE CONCLUDES IN DAR ES SALAAM 
 
KHARTOUM 00001167  001.3 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  On July 30, the Darfur Relief and Documentation 
Centre (DRDC) concluded a three-day conference for Darfuri civil 
society leaders in Dar Es Salaam.  Thirty-five Darfuri leaders 
participated in the conference entitled "Reenergizing the Peace 
Process in Darfur."  The conference produced the Dar Es Salaam 
Declaration (attached below along with a list of participants,) 
which offers recommendations on power sharing, wealth sharing, land 
issues, restitution, and the role of civil society in the peace 
process. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U)  The Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC) was the 
primary organizer of the conference.  (Note:  According to its 
website the DRDC is an independent and apolitical NGO based in 
Geneva established in May 2004, "to inject an independent and 
impartial civil society perspective for a peaceful resolution of 
armed conflicts in Darfur"  See www.darfurcentre.ch End Note.)  Two 
other organizations, the Darfur Consortium 
(www.darfurconsortium.org) and the East Africa Lawyers association 
also helped fund the conference. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  According to conference participant and Embassy Political 
Assistant, the conference reaffirmed the need to include civil 
society leaders in the Darfur peace process.  He stated that 
participants hope that their efforts will result in one civil 
society organization that can be the voice for the ordinary people 
of Darfur. PolAssistant stated that the participants represented an 
inclusive spectrum of different tribes, political parties, and 
geographic areas.  He added that the conference intentionally 
excluded participation from the rebel movements and government 
participants.  (See para 9 for a list and brief description of each 
participant.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  PolAssistant stated that Salim Ahmed Salim, former AU 
Special Envoy and a native of Tanzania, gave a two-hour presentation 
to the group.  Salim stated that civil society leaders should have 
been given a larger role in the negotiations and the peace process. 
Salim praised the work of the conference and encouraged participants 
to assert themselves and make their voices heard as debate about 
Darfur's future intensifies. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Conference participants spent much time discussing and 
deliberating on the final conference declaration (see para 8 for 
full text).  The document calls for power sharing and wealth sharing 
based on the population of Darfur, using the 1993 census as a basis. 
 These figures show that Darfur comprises approximately 20% of the 
national population.  Conference participants may hold another 
meeting before the end of 2008, which may include representatives 
from rebel movements. 
 
¶6.  COMMENT:  The conference's "Dar es Salaam Declaration" is an 
interesting document, especially as it returns to 1993 census data 
(before the current cycle of violence) as the basis for power and 
wealth sharing.  The GoS waF|arfur Dialogue and 
Consultation (DDDC,) the work of UNAMID civil affairs, and other 
local initiatives remains to be seen but it is timely given the 
GOS's recent decision to expand the dialogue on Darfur beyond the 
NCP and the rebel movements.    END COMMENT. 
 
¶7.  (Note: Conference photographs and the DRDC's description of the 
objective and purpose of this conference have been delivered to 
AF/SPG and the Office of the Special Envoy.   End Note.) 
 
Conference's Concluding Declaration 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶8.  (U)  BEGIN TEXT: 
 
"Dar Es Salaam Declaration on Reenergizing the Peace Process in 
Darfur 
 
We the undersigned representatives of civil society organizations, 
communities, intellectuals and opinion leaders from Darfur met at 
the Workshop on Reenergizing the Peace Process in Darfur: Civil 
Society Voice organized by the Darfur Relief and Documentation 
Centre in cooperation with the East Africa Law Society and the 
Darfur Consortium, 
 
Aware that our country, the Sudan, is facing a difficult and 
complicated phase in its history characterized by civil strife and 
violence which caused immense suffering and destruction of lives and 
livelihoods in addition to  massive displacement of people 
especially in the Darfur region; 
 
Recognizing that resolution of the political crisis in Sudan and 
 
KHARTOUM 00001167  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
ending the armed conflict in Darfur can only be achieved with 
courage and determination through political negotiations in a 
genuine process based on basic principles that uphold the values of 
the inherent rights of the people of Darfur to live in peace and 
dignity in a united Sudan 
 
Recognizing further that maintaining peace and stability in Sudan 
and Darfur requires additional efforts to uphold the rule of law, 
good governance, democracy, justice and accountability; 
 
Mindful that the root causes of the armed conflict in Darfur and the 
obstacles to the realization of peace in the region are rooted in 
the historical marginalization and discrepancy in power and wealth 
sharing; 
 
Deeply concerned that the human rights and humanitarian situation in 
Darfur is very acute and dangerous and that millions of people in 
the region live in miserable situation and that there is a serious 
threat of killer famine which necessitates urgent measures to put an 
end to the suffering of the war affected communities; 
 
Deeply concerned that the peace process in Darfur is currently at a 
deadlock and that additional efforts are required from all stake 
holders including the conflicting parties, war victims, civil 
society and intellectuals from Darfur to reenergize the peace 
process in the region; 
 
Recognizing the past and ongoing efforts of civil society groups 
inside Sudan and in the Diaspora in particular efforts of the 
Heidelberg Group, Concordis Group, the Jeddah Group and the Khartoum 
Darfur Intellectual Group in advocating a negotiated peaceful 
resolution of the armed conflict in Darfur; 
 
We hereby decided to: 
 
¶1. Commit ourselves to work diligently for the attainment of just 
peace in Darfur and declare the launching of the People Diplomatic 
Campaign for peace in Darfur; 
¶2. Intensify our contacts with the parties to the conflict in Darfur 
and other stakeholders as well as the regional and international 
community in a sustained effort towards peace and security in 
Darfur; 
¶3. Once again call upon the government of Sudan to demonstrate a 
strong political will in resolving the armed conflict in Darfur 
through political negotiations 
¶4. Urge the armed movements in Darfur to unite their vision and 
position and to organize and engage in immediate political 
negotiations. 
¶5. Call upon all the parties to the conflict in Darfur to reaffirm 
their commitment and full respect of the existing ceasefire 
agreements as agreed upon in the N'djamena Humanitarian Ceasefire 
Agreement and the Abuja Protocol on the Enhancement of the Security 
Situation in Darfur. 
¶6. Call upon the international community, international and national 
humanitarian organizations to continue providing the necessary 
life-saving aid to the war affected communities in Darfur and avert 
the imminent famine in the region. 
¶7. Urge all the parties to the conflict in Darfur as well as the 
African Union and United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) 
to secure the delivery of humanitarian material to the needy people 
and to protect aid workers. 
¶8. We further call on all the parties to the armed conflict in 
Darfur, the mediation team and all those concerned to make 
additional efforts to achieve the following objectives: 
 
Power Sharing 
 
a) Darfur should have its share in all organs of the national 
government, the executive, judiciary and the legislative, including 
the presidential institution, consistent with its population 
percentage. This should be applicable to all other regions and 
states 
b) Darfur should be one region with its 1956 borders within a 
federal republic of Sudan having several states to be determined by 
the people of Darfur. 
c) Any future peace agreement in Darfur should be part of the 
national constitution and that all relevant executive and other 
organs and institutions for its implementation should be established 
by law to be enacted by legislative bodies. 
d) The overwhelming majority of the people of Darfur do not 
recognize the 2008 population census because large parts of the 
region were not covered during this exercise. Demarcation of all 
electoral districts and constituencies in the region should, 
therefore, be based on the 1993 census and its projected growth 
rates. 
 
Wealth Sharing 
 
KHARTOUM 00001167  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
e) Distribution of national revenues and allocation of resources 
should be on the basis of population percentage of all the states. 
All national projects in Darfur, such as national highways, 
railways, dams, electricity generation, agricultural projects, etc., 
should be the responsibility of national government. 
f) To reduce the gap in development an affirmative action programme 
should be applied to Darfur in all fields and that such a programme 
should include accelerated training and education to enable the 
victims of the conflict in Darfur, especially women, to take up 
responsibilities in the post-conflict reconstruction and 
development. 
g) Darfur should have an Economic Development Agency empowered to 
undertake and implement investment and development policies to 
accelerate economic development in the region . 
 
Land Issues 
 
h) Land rights, use and control should be restored in accordance 
with the pre-independence historic Hakura system and that a land 
Conference should be convened to promote understanding of the Hakura 
system. 
i) Regulation of land ownership and usage should be the exclusive 
responsibility of the regional government, while the national 
government should retain the right to regulate mineral and oil 
exploration activities in accordance with an agreed upon formula. 
j) Land currently occupied by foreign new comers should be 
resituated to its original owners and that land allocated by the 
Government of Sudan for mechanised farming and large commercial and 
business enterprises, should be revised. 
 
Restitution 
 
k) Restitution, including reparations and compensation to groups and 
individuals and their dependents and descendants, within the 
framework of transitional justice is an inalienable right of the 
victims of the armed conflict in Darfur. 
l) All the parties to the conflict in Darfur should reaffirm their 
commitment to the principle of restitution to the victims of the 
conflict and that such commitment should be translated into a 
restitution scheme to the full satisfaction of the victims and that 
the responsibility of restitution falls on the Government of Sudan. 
m) Special affirmative action programme should be introduced as a 
complementary measure to cater to the needs of groups of victims of 
special needs including women victims of sexual violence and their 
children, orphans, the handicapped and the elderly. 
 
We express our thanks and gratitude to the Government and people of 
the United Republic of Tanzania, the organizers as well as to the 
Tanzanian civil society for hosting this Workshop. 
 
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Wednesday 30 July 2008." 
 
END TEXT. 
 
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶9.  (SBU)  Note: Only biographic descriptions should be treated as 
SBU. End Note. 
 
¶1. General (Rtd) Siddiq Mohamed Ismail - Retired General in the 
Sudanese police.  Secretary General of Darfur Forum for Dialogue and 
Peaceful Coexistence.  Umma party.  Beni Halba (Arab) of South 
Darfur. 
 
¶2. Mr. Salih Mahmoud M. Osman - Famous human rights activist.  Fur 
tribe.  Deputy Chairman of Darfur Bar Association. Member of the 
National Assembly representing the Communist Party. 
 
¶3. Mr. Adam Mohamed Hamid Elnahla - Northern Rizegat- Mahamid Arab. 
Never actively involved, but known as a supporter and representative 
of janjaweed.  Very strong personality in Mahamid, who may influence 
Musa Hilal. 
 
¶4. Mr. Ismail Kitir - Lawyer.  Zaghawa from El-Fasher. 
Representative of Darfur Forum for Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence 
(DFDPC).  Chairman of Umma party in North Darfur. 
 
¶5. Dr. Idris Yousif Ahmed - Secretary General for Shura Council. 
Ex-Minister in West Darfur.  Ex- member of Parliament for NCP.  Not 
currently active in NCP.  Fur tribe from West Darfur. 
 
¶6. Mr. Mohamed Abdalla AL Doma - Chairman of Darfur Bar Association. 
 Human Rights activist.  Member of DFDPC.  Member of politburo of 
the Umma party. 
 
¶7. Mr. Zeidan Abdelrahim Yousif - Leader and founder of DFDPC. 
 
KHARTOUM 00001167  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
Activist.  Member of politburo of DUP, in charge of the Darfur file. 
 
 
¶8. Dr. Al-Waleed Adam Musa Madibo - Chairman of Governance Bureau, a 
civil society organization.  Organized Ad-Daien festival.  South 
Rizegat, Baggara Arab. 
 
¶9. Mr. Mohamed Eisa Alieu - Darfur Activist.  Deputy chairman of 
DFDPC.  Member of National Reconciliation and Chairman of Rizegat 
Arab Shura Council.  Member of Umma party politburo. 
 
¶10. Prof. Abdelrahman Bushara Dousa - Member of DFDPC.  Member of 
politburo of the Umma party.  From chieftain family of Zaghawa. 
Professor of University of Juba, Khartoum. 
 
¶11. Dr. Mohamed Ahmed - Physician from Fur Tribe, Niyala. 
Originally from Jebel Marra.  Activist. 
 
¶12. Dr. Abdelgabar Abdalla Fadul Ahmed - Academic and active Darfur 
researcher from El Fasher University.  Fur tribe. 
 
¶13. Mr. Khalil Mohamed Bakhiet Tukras - Meidob tribe, North Darfur. 
Lawyer and activist.  Worked in Sudan Development Organization 
(Sudo). 
 
¶14. Mr. Abdelrahman Mohamed El Gasim - Lawyer and Human Rights 
Activist.  Member of Darfur Bar Association. 
 
¶15. Mr. Hamid Ali Mohammed Nour - Activist and Embassy Locally 
Engaged Staff.  Founding member of DFDPC. 
 
¶16. Mr. Faroug Adam Abakar - Lawyer.  Secretary General of Masalit 
Shura Council.  Prominent member of Darfur Forum.  Activist. 
 
¶17. Prof. Abulgasim Seif Eldin Sameen - Member of National Assembly 
for SPLM.  Based in Khartoum.  Fur Tribe from Jebel Marra. 
 
¶18. Mr. Al Amin Mahmoud M. Osman - Fur Tribe and Deputy Secretary of 
Fur Shura Council.  Active member of Popular Congress Party. 
Brother of Salih Mahmoud M. Osman. 
 
¶19. Ms. Nawal Hassan Osman Haroun - Activist and employee of USAID 
Mission in Sudan. 
 
¶20. Ms. Fatima Mohamed Elhassan - Founder of NGO working in Darfur 
among the IDPs. 
 
¶21. Ms. Salwa Adam Beniya - Member of Parliament for SPLM. 
Masalit/Arab (father Masalit, mother Arab). Deputy Chairman of 
DFDPC. 
 
¶22. Ms. Zahara Abdeln'im - From El-Fasher.  Founder of NGO working 
in Darfur among the IDPs.  Fur. 
 
¶23. Ms. Mariyam Eissa Ahmed - Activist.  Insisted on speaking Fur 
language in the conference. 
 
¶24. Ms. Safa Al Agib Adam - Chairperson of NGO focusing on women. 
Gender activist. 
 
¶25. Dr. Firdous Abdurhaman - Activist. 
 
¶26. Ms. Samia Ahmed Nihar - Activist.  Zaghawa. 
 
¶27. Ms. Azza Mohamed Ahmed - Peace and Studies Center, University of 
Khartoum.  Activist. 
 
¶28. Dr. El-Tigani El-Sesei - Ex-Governor of Greater Darfur. 
Chieftain of Fur of Zalingei.  Brother is chieftain of fur in West 
Darfur.  Works for Economic Commission for Africa.  President of 
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre and organizer of the 
conference. 
 
¶29. Mr. Omer Gamar Eldin Ismael - From El-Fasher, working in Geneva. 
Berti tribe. 
 
¶30. Mr. Mustafa Abdelkarim Mustafa - Based in Saudi Arabia.  Fur 
tribe. 
 
¶31. Dr. Adam Abdelmoula - Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa 
Unit, Officer of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights. 
Based in Geneva.  Fur from a famous family in Zalingei. 
 
¶32. Mr. Abdelbagi Abdalla Mohamed Jibril - Executive Director, 
Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre.  Based in Geneva. 
 
FERNANDEZ