VZCZCXRO0474
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHKUK RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0013/01 0061314
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061314Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2638
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000013 
 
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, SE WILLIAMSON, AF/SPG, AF/C 
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: MAIDOB REBELS KILLED IN JEM INFIGHTING 
 
REF A) KHARTOUM 1848 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Dozens of Maidob fighters from the Justice and 
Equality Movement (JEM) were killed and many more injured at the 
hands of their Zaghawa counterparts in clashes in Eastern Chad on 
January 1, according to multiple rebel sources. The infighting 
apparently started when the Maidob protested their exclusion from 
leadership positions within JEM and refused orders to disarm, they 
said. As many as 37 fighters are believed to be dead and over 100 
wounded, according to one estimate. The "Maidob Society Abroad" 
condemned the killings as "ethnic cleansing" and urged Maidob 
fighters to abandon Khalil Ibrahim and join a JEM faction headed by 
Idriss Ibrahim Azrag. Meanwhile, officials from JEM downplayed the 
number of casualties and blamed government conspirators for 
instigating the violence. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) According to several sources, fighting broke out late last 
week among JEM's ranks in Chadian territory following a 
restructuring of the army by JEM Chairman Khalil Ibrahim. A number 
of commanders reportedly took issue at having been bypassed for 
promotion and accused Ibahim of favoritism based on tribal 
affiliation, leading to an outbreak of violence. Al Sudani newspaper 
reported on January 4 that "over 60 were injured and killed," while 
URF Chairman Bahar Abu Garda told CDA Fernandez that clashes between 
JEM fighters and Maidob in Chad resulted in 37 killed and 100 
injured. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On January 4 emboff spoke with Suleiman Marjan, a Maidob 
rebel commander allied with SLA/AW. Marjan reported that the clashes 
originated on January 1 when approximately 150 Maidob fighters 
within JEM's ranks decided to protest what they claimed to be their 
marginalization within the movement, in particular the lack of 
opportunities for promotion and leadership. According to Marjan, JEM 
senior command acquiesced to the protestors and agreed to hear their 
grievances one on one, but only after they put down their arms. When 
the Maidob refused to disarm, clashes broke out between Maidob and 
non-Maidob JEM combatants close to the village of Um Jarih, about 40 
kilometers inside Chadian territory near the town of Baha'i. Marjan 
noted that while ten of the Maidob fighters managed to escape to 
Sudan, he assumed the rest were injured or killed. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On January 4 Senior Assistant to the President Minni 
Minnawi told CDA and poloff that some of that the Maidob fighters 
involved in the clashes were recent recruits to JEM, dating back to 
the May 2008 attacks on Omdurman. He said that after being recruited 
and mobilized, the Maidob were kept idle and essentially "locked up 
like prisoners." Adding to their frustration, he said, was Khalil 
Ibrahim's recent acceptance of (and subsequent promotion of) two 
Minnawi defectors, former Deputy Commander-in-Chief Bakheit Karima 
and former Chief of Staff Arko Suleiman Dahia (reftel). "The Maidob 
refused to accept this," Minnawi said, "because they have been with 
JEM a longer time and [Karima and Dohya] are new." As a result, 
fighting broke out, though he was unsure of the number of 
casualties.  Minnawi also stated that he'd heard rumors of Chadian 
armed forces' involvement in the clashes. He remarked that he would 
not be surprised if the defectors--particularly Dahia--were sent by 
the GOS to stir up trouble within JEM because "everyone was shocked 
when they joined Khalil." Minnawi also affirmed that the incident 
may have consequences for JEM because the Maidob control access 
across North Darfur heading East into Kordofan and the Nile 
Valley--which is how JEM allegedly crossed in May 2008. The Maidob 
are an Darfuri African tribe which has largely been spared much of 
the worst of the violence in Darfur in 2003-2005 and are still 
generally found in NE Darfur around the town of Malha. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Not surprisingly, JEM Spokesman Ahmed Hussein downplayed 
the fighting to poloff on January 5. He characterized the incidents 
as the work of the GOS, stating that the perpetrators used a pretext 
of dissatisfaction with their ranks to try and escape with several 
vehicles and foment an internal rebellion, but added, "the situation 
is now contained." A statement posted on JEM's website noted that 
"the sabotage inside JEM movement has coincided with the movement of 
Al Bashir's troops close to the Chadian border in the vicinity of 
the movement's positions. The SAF movement was supported by 
helicopter gunships and Antonov bombers to provide aerial cover for 
the traitors when fleeing to Sudan." 
 
¶6. (SBU) On January 4, a statement appeared on the pro-SPLM 
SudaneseOnline from the "Maidob Society Abroad" condemning the 
"ethnic cleansing" of Maidob at the hands of JEM and the Zaghawa 
Kobe Clan. The statement asserted that the killings occurred after 
Maidob combatants protested their exclusion from promotion within 
JEM's ranks. They were ordered to hand over their weapons and when 
they refused, were accused of mutiny and attacked by Zaghawa (Kobe 
 
KHARTOUM 00000013  002 OF 002 
 
 
Clan) JEM fighters, resulting in the death of sixty Maidob. "JEM's 
mask was taken away, revealing its true racist face," said the 
statement. It added that "Khalil should know that the bloodshed of 
the Maidob will not pass without accountability," and called on all 
Maidob to join the JEM faction headed by Idriss Ibrahim Azrag. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: Despite being the most organized and disciplined 
of Darfur's rebel movements, JEM is still primarily a Zaghawa 
movement and is not immune to government interference within its 
ranks. JEM is a lot like the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers: both are led 
by a Kobe (a Kobe clan Zaghawa in the case of Khalil Ibrahim) who is 
supremely talented but doesn't play well with others. While JEM is 
reportedly awash in vehicles and equipment, it lacs anpower, and 
this incident will likely hurt its recruiting efforts among 
non-Zaghawa tribes already alienated because of past Zaghawa 
outrages, and lessening the chances that it can launch another 
spectacular Omdurman-style attack in the near future. 
 
FERNANDEZ