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Viewing cable 09KHARTOUM1378, SPLM'S AMUM PAUSES PROTESTS, VOWS CONTINUED OPPOSITION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09KHARTOUM1378 2009-12-10 07:33 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Khartoum
VZCZCXRO2198
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #1378 3440733
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 100733Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4851
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001378 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREF SU
SUBJECT: SPLM'S AMUM PAUSES PROTESTS, VOWS CONTINUED OPPOSITION 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 1370 
B) KHARTOUM 1363 
C) KHARTOUM 1359 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Opposition party protests will continue until 
outstanding CPA implementation issues are resolved, Sudan People's 
Liberation Movement (SPLM) Secretary General Pagan Amum told DCM 
Asquino on December 9.  While Amum has decided to hold off on 
leading any protests in Khartoum in the hope that Government of 
Southern Sudan (GOSS) leadership can negotiate a solution with the 
ruling National Congress Party (NCP)(Note: GOSS President Salva 
Kiir, originally scheduled to come to Khartoum on December 9 will 
now arrive on December 10. End note.) Amum told poloff that GOSS 
Vice President Riek Machar was now extremely pessimistic after 
receiving an "empty" offer from the NCP early this morning.  Amum 
also reflected upon the perceived racial overtones of the beating of 
SPLM Head of Northern Sector Yasir Arman, saying they were designed 
to "humiliate" rather than hurt him.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Amum told DCM that he expects the SPLM to hold more 
peaceful marches until the Government of National Unity (GNU) 
National Assembly can be persuaded to pass outstanding laws, 
including the Referendum Laws for Southern Sudan and Abyei. However, 
he stated he had agreed to hold off on another protest in Khartoum 
"for the time being" to give Machar and GOSS President Salva Kiir 
the chance to negotiate a solution.  Amum later told poloff that 
while Machar was upbeat last night upon receiving news of a 
potential new "package deal" offer from the NCP, he was downtrodden 
upon receiving the "empty" offer this morning.  "There was no gift 
inside," said Amum.  (Note: Machar's discussion with CDA Whitehead 
on December 9 to be reported in septel.  End note.) 
 
3. (SBU) Amum nonetheless expressed confidence that additional 
protests would eventually force a breakthrough in the deadlock 
between the two parties.  He noted that protests would continue in 
Southern Sudan, with planned demonstrations in Rumbek on December 9, 
Bentiu on December 10 and Aweil shortly thereafter, and that barring 
a solution he would continue to lead protests in Khartoum.  "You are 
welcome to visit me at my new hotel in town," he joked, "a 
government jail." 
 
4. (SBU) Amum also reflected upon his arrest on December 7 and the 
beating of Arman, which he said had strong racial overtones.  Amum 
said that Arman was pulled from his holding cell at the police 
detention facility and taunted by a Government of Sudan (GOS) police 
officer who called him "a traitor" for "betraying" his Northern 
Sudanese brethren to help the "slaves" of Southern Sudan. The 
beating was designed not to hurt him, but rather to humiliate Arman 
and "break his spirit," he said.  Arman declined to file a formal 
complaint against the officer, said Amum, because he is a "victim of 
indoctrination" of the systemic racism of the NCP regime. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment: Given his record to date, Amum will probably 
continue to stir the pot to heighten political tensions in Khartoum 
as well as the South.  A temporary delay in protests in Khartoum is 
nonetheless a welcome respite since it will give both parties an 
opportunity to reflect on what has become a more volatile situation. 
This process may already be underway. We have learned that a meeting 
between the SPLM's Riek Machar, Malik Agar and Luka Biong and the 
NCP's Ali Osman Taha and South Kordofan Governor Ahmed Haroun (who 
launched the pre-negotiation contact) went deep into the morning of 
December 10, with Kiir and Bashir slated to meet later in the day. A 
best case scenario might be that the recent political convulsion has 
given impetus to the stalled legislative/political package. We do 
not know what this outcome would due to Amum's new strategy, which 
has abandoned the rhetoric of returning to the bush in exchange for 
the embrace of Ghandian principles of non-violent protest, which 
Amum has reportedly taken to heart. End comment. 
 
WHITEHEAD