VZCZCXRO9467
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0420/01 0841358
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251358Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3357
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000420 
 
DEPT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, SE GRATION, AF/SPG, DRL 
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID KDEM SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: SUDANESE CIVIL SOCIETY DETERMINED TO STAY IN THE FIGHT 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Key independent civil society actors, who  have 
been implementing USG-supported civic and voter education and human 
rights activities in northern Sudan, affirmed that they are 
committed to stay in the fight to maintain space for civic 
participation.  They intend to do so despite the regime's use of the 
ICC indictment as an excuse to tighten the noose around the neck of 
civil society.  Civic activists pleaded for donor flexibility under 
the current conditions, and for their most trusted international 
partners not to abandon them now at their hour of greatest need. 
End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) At a March 24 meeting with key national civil society 
organizations (CSOs), which have received small grants from USAID's 
Office of Transition Initiatives, leading civic activists told USAID 
staff that those CSOs remaining active in the wake of the expulsion 
of 13 international NGOs and three national NGOs believe it is only 
a matter of time before the Government of Sudan (GoS) revokes the 
registration of more organizations.  They said that the "evaluation" 
team from HAC formed prior to the ICC indictment continues to 
investigate international and national organizations. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Dr. Albaqir Alafif Mukhtar, director of the Khatim Adlan 
Center for Enlightenment (KACE), told USAIDoff that "we are all in 
violation of the law."  He said that after the GoS refused to heed 
CSOs' calls to amend the deeply flawed Humanitarian and Voluntary 
Work Act passed in 2006, the CSOs obtained a verbal agreement from 
the State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs (and ICC indictee) Ahmed 
Haroun that Article 7 of the Act would be "overlooked" by HAC. 
Article 7 requires NGOs to obtain approval from HAC prior to 
fundraising and accepting donations.  Dr. Mukhtar said that all 
independent CSOs receive donor funds without obtaining HAC 
permission, and until now HAC has ignored this.  At any moment, 
should the GoS decide it is displeased with CSOs, or the CSOs push 
too far on advocacy issues related to democracy and human rights, 
HAC could legally dissolve them on this basis. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Dr. Mukhtar stated, and other participants confirmed, that 
if the GoS closes their organizations down, they will continue their 
work by whatever means necessary and accept the risks.  They are 
willing to consider working without official registration, 
continuing under the auspices of other organizations, setting up new 
organizations, and devising offshore methods of accessing funds. 
The group noted, however, that such arrangements would require 
strong support and flexibility on the part of their donors and 
partners.  They also said that apart from USAID/OTI's funding 
through PADCO-AECOM (which was among the expelled organizations,) 
there are very few other donors offering direct support to CSOs in 
northern Sudan.  They added there are none that use OTI's in-kind 
grants mechanism, which provides rapid, flexible funding for small 
CSOs that may never have received outside assistance before. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The assembled group, whose experience spans thirty years of 
civic and political engagement in Sudan, said they had expected the 
recent expulsions and crackdown on local organizations as neither is 
new in their experience.  These activists, many of whom continued 
operating during much more repressive times when they could only 
meet in their houses and all civic activities were shut down, said 
that Sudanese civil society has a high-level of experience and 
resilience.  This allows them to navigate the hurdles  imposed by 
the regime, even if such obstacles become more nasty and brutish. 
 
¶6. (SBU) By all accounts, the operating environment for civil 
society may get even worse.  Dr. Amin Mekki Medani, a prominent 
human rights activist who provided legal aid to the Darfurians in 
Khartoum victimized during and after the Omdurman crisis last May, 
pointed to the regime's increasing intolerance of any dissenting 
views.  He said the extent to which the NCP will go to protect 
itself was best demonstrated by the way the regime shut out the SPLM 
in its decision to expel the NGOs.   The group cited the recent 
incidents of violent repression of free speech on university 
campuses as another example of worsening conditions for independent 
voices.  Dr. Asha Khalil al Karib, a long-time veteran of Sudanese 
civil society and currently director of the Sudanese Organization 
for Research and Development (SORD), described the atmosphere e on 
university campuses, which at present have been militarized.  She 
noted these campuses now are patrolled by  NCP-affiliated students 
who carry sticks and guns to harass and threaten other students 
individually.  She said her two sons, who are both young activists 
on campus, fear for their lives in a way they never did before. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Dr. Shams al Din daw al Beit, a well-respected CPA and 
elections expert who has facilitated several USAID-supported civic 
education workshops, related the story of a medical doctor and 
member of a state legislative assembly who was picked up off the 
street and beaten.  His offense:  writing an article on a  Sudanese 
 
KHARTOUM 00000420  002 OF 002 
 
 
Online website in which e he stated that the regime's expulsion of 
the NGOs was a crime against humanity.  Dr. daw al Beit said that he 
believes the regime's strategy is to "dry up the sources of support 
for any civil society that are a threat to a totalitarian regime." 
Dr. Buthaina Ahmed Elnaiem, a lecturer at Juba University in 
Khartoum who has done USAID-supported work on rights-based budget 
transparency issues, said that most people do not support the 
President's actions, but they are very passive, fearing the 
retribution that will come with speaking out.  Mr. Ali Mohammed Ali, 
director of the USAID-supported Civic Education Center (and deputy 
secretary of the recently formed Sudanese-American Alumni 
Association, Post's initiative to engage alumni of USG-sponsored 
fellowships and visitor programs to the US,) commented that many 
CSOs are waiting for the ICC "storm" to die down before they take 
any action. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment. These veteran activists know the "storm" has just 
begun.  They are moving ahead with their work, including a meeting 
(planned before the ICC announcement) to bring together key CSOs 
working on elections.  The goal of the meeting is to form an 
umbrella network for elections-related work, which USAID/OTI had 
previously intended to support through the PADCO-AECOM small grants 
program.  HAC approval notwithstanding, the group intends to hold 
the meeting on March 30-31, with a first day of internal discussions 
and a second day of presentation to international donors.  Embassy 
staff plan to attend the meeting and will report outcomes septel. 
Post is examining options for continued support to civil society in 
the current context, taking into account potential risks for 
implementing partners, both international and national. 
 
FERNANDEZ