VZCZCXRO4980
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1580/01 3000746
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260746Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2169
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001580 
 
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/SPG 
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: MINNAWI KICKS OUT DETRACTOR FROM SLM/MM AND JUSTIFIES HIS 
RETURN 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On October 24, SLM/MM chairman Minni Minnawi 
presided over a party meeting announcing that the membership of its 
Secretary General Mustafa Tirab has been suspended. Effective 
immediately, Ali Hussein Dausa will replace Tirab, who has long been 
accused of working for the NCP. Prior to the announcement, Dausa, 
Yassir Arman (the SPLM's Deputy Secretary General for the Northern 
Sector,) and Minnawi offered their remarks.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On October 24, SLM/MM held a party meeting at its Omdurman 
headquarters.  Minnawi's one-dozen bodyguards, approximately 150 
party members and dozens of print and television journalists 
attended the event. Political officers from the U.K. and U.S. were 
the only representatives of the diplomatic community.  A trumpeter, 
drum player, and a group of ululating women (who promptly stole the 
microphone from the master of ceremony and loudly chanted praise for 
SLM) ushered Minnawi into the gathering. Minnawi's bodyguards helped 
restore order and retrieved the microphone. The first speaker, 
SLM/MM South Darfur representative, Muahmmad Hamid, led the 
gathering in a moment of silence "to remember the martyrs of the 
Sudan Liberation Movement." 
 
REMARKS FROM THE NEW SECRETARY GENERAL 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶3.  (SBU) Ali Hussen Dausa (who was later appointed the new acting 
Secretary General of SLM/MM) then gave a review of implementation of 
the Darfur Peace Agreement since the September 19 meeting between 
Vice President Ali Osman Taha and Minnawi. Dausa said that in 
particular SLM/MM and the NCP have made progress on security 
arrangements, formalizing the DPA in the interim constitution, and 
increasing SLM/MM participation in the civil service. Dausa 
noticeably referred to SLM/MM's matrix of 27 items under discussion 
with the NCP.  (Note:  This document was sent to AF/SPG and the 
Office of the Special Envoy in early October.  End Note.) 
 
DPA IMPLEMENTATION IN THE LAST MONTH 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶4.  (SBU)  Dausa noted two points outside the scope of the matrix. 
First, he recounted that a representative from the Ministry of 
Education promised SLM representatives that school fees for Darfuri 
university students would be waived and that rogue school 
administrators still requesting fees would be dealt with harshly. 
Second, Dausa specifically noted that Haj Atta Al-Mannan (former 
Governor of South Darfur and a leader of the Sudan People's 
Initiative) visited SLM/MM wounded war veterans in Khartoum and 
promised medical support for those individuals- "a positive symbolic 
gesture that demonstrated the goodwill of the NCP." 
 
SUDAN PEOPLE'S INITIATIVE 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶5.  (SBU)  Dausa ended his remarks saying that the Sudan People's 
Initiative is a positive first step, and that SLM should contribute 
to the debate on a number of the still unresolved issues. The Sudan 
Liberation Movement has had a clear position on the need for 
individual compensation to those affected by the war, claimed Dausa. 
 (Note:  This call for individual compensation conflicts with the 
TDRA's Compensation Chairman, Abulgasim, who previously told poloffs 
that collective compensation will provide more systematic and 
long-term aid to the people of Darfur.  End Note.)   On the issue of 
turning Darfur into one region, SLM/MM has made it clear that "we 
are for one region, but the people, not politicians, should be able 
to choose in a referendum." 
 
SPLM'S STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH SLM/MM 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶6.  (SBU) SPLM Deputy Secretary General for Northern Sector, Yassir 
Arman, gave a very brief presentation welcoming Minnawi's return, 
the recent steps toward implementation of the DPA, and a future 
"strategic alliance with SLM/MM."  Arman noted SPLM's long history 
with SLM, and his personal relationship with Minnawi.  Arman noted 
that the Sudan People's Initiative (SPI) is a positive first step 
for the government to listen to the political opposition and the 
people of Darfur.  The leaders of the SPI should give other 
opportunities to meet for those who did not participate in the first 
session, said Arman.  Arman said that the Qatari initiative should 
include a prominent role for neighboring countries, the 
international community, and the African Union. 
 
MINNAWI'S REMARKS 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶7.  (SBU)  Minnawi opened his lengthy remarks saying that he would 
like to "use this opportunity to clarify some developments within 
his movement."  He then thanked those within SLM who persevered and 
remained loyal to the movement, while the "doubters and detractors 
exploited my absence from Khartoum."  Minnawi then specifically 
 
KHARTOUM 00001580  002 OF 003 
 
 
acknowledged the contribution of Darfuri students, the SPLA, women, 
IDPs and refugees, and "of course the SLA fighters, our heroes." 
Minnawi claimed that more than 300 SLA fighters have been killed in 
combat since the signing of the DPA in 2006. 
 
"NOT EVERYTHING IS OKAY." 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶8.  (SBU)  The NCP and SLM/MM have made progress in DPA 
implementation in the last month, stated Minnawi, but he also 
cautioned "just because I am talking to you here in Khartoum does 
not mean that everything is okay."  Minnawi said that funding 
remains a major outstanding issue for the Darfur Reconstruction and 
Development Fund, and "if this is not implemented, I will go back to 
my soldiers."  Minnawi noted that security in Darfur has improved 
since his meeting with VP Taha in El-Fasher. Minnawi implied that 
the GoS was ready to sign an agreement after being thoroughly routed 
by SLM/MM fighters near Colgay in early September.  "They were going 
to test our forces.  But we all know what happened in places like 
Colgay and they were forced to look at other options," noted 
Minnawi.  Minnawi stated that although things have been relatively 
stable in SLM/MM areas of control, that the overall situation for 
Darfur's people is "dangerous."  Minnawi emphasized that Darfur 
should not be characterized as an ethnic conflict, as "at its heart 
it is a political issue." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Minnawi only indirectly referred to division in SLM/MM. 
He said that it was inappropriate for some detractors in his 
movement to criticize his leadership while he was in Darfur.  He 
then emphasized that SLM/MM is ready to build a new movement for the 
people of Darfur. 
 
RELATIONSHIP WITH NON-SIGNATORIES 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶10.  (SBU)  Minnawi said that his current relationship with the NCP 
is "not bad" and that the DPA must be the basis for any serious 
negotiations about Darfur.  Indirectly referring to his travel to 
Chad, Minnawi stated, "there are not restrictions against a partner 
in the government traveling to meet one's neighbors."  Minnawi then 
said phat he met anec/th~p/QodkmOuocused on Minnawi's comments regarding his relationship 
with non-signatories.  End Note). Coincidently, CDA Fernandez spoke 
several hours earlier with former JEM rebel commander Bahar Abu 
Garda, who has forged a relationship with Minnawi. 
 
BYE BYE TIRAB 
- - - - - - - - 
¶11. (SBU)  SLM/MM's spokesman Sayf Al-Din Haroun ended the meeting 
reading SLM Presidential Decree number five in 2008.  The decree 
cites ongoing violations of the General Secretary dating from August 
2007, and declares that Mustafa Tirab's participation in the 
movement is immediately "frozen" and that Ali Hussein Dausa will 
serve as the acting General Secretary, ending the meeting. 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  Following the meeting, Sayf Al-Din Haroun separately 
told poloff that Minnawi plans on remaining in Khartoum "at least 
for the next week."  When asked why the decree did not deal with 
other SLM/MM detractors such as Deputy Chairman Dr. Rayyah Mahmud or 
Suliman Dayia, Haroun replied, "Minni believes that he will be able 
to work with these individuals without kicking them out of the 
movement, but Tirab was their leader and we had to deal with him." 
SLM/MM Legal Secretary Abd Al-Aziz Sam also later told poloff that 
although Tirab's participation in the party has been suspended, it 
is not clear whether Tirab will continue to work in his government 
position as the State Minister of Federal Rule.  Sam said that 
SLM/MM is still exploring how to remove from Tirab from this 
position. 
 
 
TIRAB'S PERSPECTIVE 
- - - - - - - - - - - 
¶13.  (SBU)  On October 25, Mustafa Tirab told poloff that he rejects 
SLM/MM's decision as the movement did not follow standard party 
procedures.  Tirab said that this move will lead to "chaos" in the 
party and denied allegations that he has ties to the NCP, as "I was 
in the movement before Minni and have always been true to it." 
Tirab asserted that SLM fighters in the field are loyal to him and 
"we have our own men to fight, so why should we care what Minni 
does?" 
 
KHARTOUM 00001580  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
- - - - - 
¶14.  (SBU) Tirab's suspension has been anticipated for some time and 
there is nothing altogether surprising from this move.  The removal 
of only one SLM/MM detractor will likely have little effect on the 
movement, and Minnawi will likely have to be even more aggressive in 
dealing with other detractors in the coming months.  Despite 
Minnawi's occasional jab at the NCP, the October 24 meeting appeared 
to be more about justifying his return to Khartoum than ejecting 
Tirab.  Many SLM/MM members believe that the little progress that 
has been achieved in DPA implementation (e.g. the formality of 
bringing the DPA into the constitution or promising civil service 
jobs) does not justify Minnawi's return to Khartoum. The evening was 
an awkward mixture of celebration, internal party management, and 
political posturing.  Above all else, it showed that SLM/MM has much 
work to do to transform itself from a raggedy rebel movement into a 
legitimate Darfuri political party. 
 
FERNANDEZ