VZCZCXRO3758
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0211/01 0480513
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 170513Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2987
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000211 
 
DEPT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, AF/SPG, AF/C 
NSC FOR CHUDSON 
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: DARFUR'S NOMADS REQUEST DEVELOPMENT AID AND CHANCE TO 
CORRECT MISCONCEPTIONS 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On February 15, the Nomads Development Council 
(NDC) led by Abdalla Safi Al-Nur told CDA Fernandez that Darfur's 
nomads (the majority of which are Arab, although the non-Arab 
Zaghawa are also nomadic) are misunderstood, marginalized, and in 
need of humanitarian aid and development.  Al-Nur also asserted that 
the U.S. has a preference for Darfur's Zaghawa tribe and suggested 
that JEM's Khalil Ibrahim has already deceived the U.S.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Al-Nur opened the meeting thanking the CDA for his 
personal outreach, stating that the American Charge's presence 
proves that "you want to know the truth about Darfur."  Al-Nur 
stated that although NDC's focus is on Darfur's Arabs ("as the 
majority of nomads are Arabs") that other tribes and regions, 
especially neighboring Kordofan, also concern the council. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Following Al-Nur's opening, six other speakers presented 
brief remarks focusing on misperceptions of Darfur's Arabs and the 
need for more development to nomads.  Abdalla Takas stated that 
Darfur's Arabs have been the single population most affected by the 
Darfur conflict.  According to this speaker, the proud nomads have 
always refused to "beg and take handouts" by joining the IDP camps, 
and with the departure of their "economic partners" among the 
now-displaced African tribes their patterns of trading and commerce 
have been undermined. Nomads used to sometimes attend schools set up 
for farmers, which no longer exist.  Another speaker highlighted the 
nomad's resiliency, stating "nomads are accustomed to migration, and 
therefore when conflict starts in an area, they have the ability to 
flee and live elsewhere." 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Yousif Takana, a Baggara (Cattle-herding) Rizeigat from 
South Darfur, estimated that 25-30% of Darfur's population are 
nomads. He stated that the Darfur crisis began with competition over 
scarce natural resources and was exacerbated by changing migration 
routes that lacked organization and sufficient attention.  This has 
caused clashes not only between nomads and farmers, but also between 
different nomadic groups as violence between Arab tribes spiked in 
2007-2008.  According to Takana only "development intervention will 
help return the equilibrium to Darfur." 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Ahmed Suliman Belah noted that both the Sudanese 
government and the international community have grossly 
misunderstood and misrepresented the Arab nomads.  Another speaker 
later threatened, "We were not part of the campaign that started 
this conflict, but if we continue to be isolated, what you accuse us 
of doing in the past will really happen in the future."  Belah 
stated that, not only the international community, but also the 
Sudanese Government has neglected Darfur's Arabs as the GoS has 
failed to recognize that nomads need development aid.  Belah 
concluded his remarks stating that as "the U.S. is the strongest 
country in the world and the Arabs are the strongest tribe in 
Darfur, it is imperative for us to work together." 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Haja Ma'lool, the one female in attendance and NDC's 
Secretary of Foreign Relations, stated that the conflict has 
affected nomadic women and children more than any other group.  She 
stated that, in particular, these individuals need health services 
(especially for reproductive health,) education, and development 
projects, especially wells. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  CDA Fernandez replied that although misconceptions about 
Darfur persist, that there are many individuals in the USG, and in 
particular in the new Obama Administration, who deeply understand 
the conflict.  He stated that the U.S. does need to eventually move 
from emergency assistance to development, but that this is made more 
difficult by the GoS's antagonistic and mistrustful Humanitarian 
Affairs Commission.  The CDA cited USAID's pioneering work with the 
Southern Rizegat in Ed-Dain as one successful example of USG 
assistance for Darfur's Arabs.  He added that the U.S. is not new to 
assisting the people of Darfur in times of need, recalling that 
during the drought of the 1980's the staple food commodity, sorghum, 
was labeled "Reagan sorghum."  The CDA stated that the U.S. does not 
give preferential support to any single tribe in Darfur, and that 
support for the one signatory of the DPA should not be interpreted 
as support for the Zaghawa. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Al-Nur closed the meeting stating that the U.S. 
indirectly supports rebel movements in Darfur through positive media 
portrayals of the rebels, feeding their supporters in IDP camps, and 
bringing humanitarian aid and other services to areas of Darfur 
controlled by rebels (such as Eastern Jebel Marra).  He repeated his 
colleagues' concern of American bias for the Zaghawa tribe "as they 
always go to visit Washington and are the only voice you hear." 
 
KHARTOUM 00000211  002 OF 002 
 
 
Al-Nur said that he is skeptical about the ongoing negotiations in 
Doha, especially as the negotiations focus solely on one Zaghawa 
movement.  With respect to JEM's Khalil Ibrahim, Al-Nur asserted 
"you better know what you are doing when dealing with him."  Al-Nur 
ended stating that it is important to recognize that Darfur's nomads 
have a distinct culture, and that they are "a dignified people, who 
refuse to beg, and have co-existed with different groups for a long 
time." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT: Like other recent interlocutors from Darfur (both 
Arab and African), Al-Nur alleged the U.S. gives preferential 
support to the Zaghawa tribe (and their leaders such as Minni 
Minnawi and JEM's Khalil Ibrahim.)  While delivering his advice on 
Khalil Ibrahim, Al-Nur leaned in, delivered a sly smile, and implied 
that Khalil Ibrahim has already deceived USG officials.  Darfur's 
Arabs are an important and turbulent component of Darfur's social 
mosaic.  Funneling even a very small portion of U.S. assistance to 
Darfur's nomads could go a long way in: encouraging Darfur's Arabs 
to assert their independence from the GoS; mending the social 
framework within Darfur; and improving the USG's relationship with 
this aggrieved group.  The meeting also aptly illustrated the 
mentality of Darfur's Arabs, proud, strong and dignified, yet poor, 
exploited, and marginalized.  This sense of pride mixed with 
perceived marginalization is a dangerous combination, and explains 
how the GOS was able to exploit some elements of this population 
throughout the conflict as the regime's most feared shock troops 
during the worst years of the violence. Safi al-Nur himself played a 
leading in encouraging abuses and atrocities, under Khartoum's 
direction, by Arab tribesmen. 
 
FERNANDEZ