VZCZCXRO2670
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0104 0200837
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 200836Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0038
INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE
UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000104 
 
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 PREL PHUM SU
SUBJECT: DON'T NEGLECT DARFUR'S ARABS, WARNS CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVIST 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Darfur's Arab tribes must be included in the 
peace process if a lasting solution to the Darfur conflict is to be 
found, Darfuri civil society activist Hamid Nur told polchief in a 
meeting on January 12.  Noting that Arab tribes feel left out of 
the Doha process, he urged that the USG support initiatives to 
promote grassroots dialogue and reconciliation.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On January 12, polchief met with Hamid Nur, former US 
Embassy Khartoum Political Assistant and newly appointed Executive 
Director of Governance Bureau, a consultancy focused on democracy 
and governance.  (Note: Governance Bureau was founded by Waleed 
Madibbo Mousa, a prominent Darfur Reizegat Arab Intellectual known 
for organizing a successful intertribal equestrian festival in Ed 
Daien, South Darfur in July 2008. End Note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Nur asserted that the existing United Nations/African 
Union-led attempts at peacemaking in Darfur are not inclusive and 
will therefore remain wholly insufficient.  Joint Chief Mediator 
Djibril Bassole's attempts to create a civil society forum in Doha 
have failed, he said, due to an opaque selection process for 
representatives and perceived government interference. According to 
Nur, if real reconciliation is going to occur, it must happen not 
in Qatar but on the ground in Darfur. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Nur proposed convening a forum of tribal leaders from all 
factions to promote intertribal unity and organic solutions to the 
Darfur crisis in order to rebuild the torn social fabric.  He gave 
particular significance to the inclusion of Darfur's Arab tribes, 
who have, he claimed, recently come to the realization that they 
were manipulated by the Government during the years of conflict. 
Noting that Arab tribes represent a silent majority in Darfur, he 
believes they must be integrated into the peace process, and urged 
USG support for initiatives to promote grassroots dialogue and 
reconciliation. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: The Doha peace process has neglected the Arab 
tribes, many of whom feel that if the rebels and the government 
achieve peace, it will come at their expense.  However, with 
restive Arab tribesmen responsible for much of the banditry, 
kidnapping and other criminality plaguing Darfur, any viable 
political solution must include the Arab tribes.  Moreover, plans 
for sustainable development in Darfur must consider not only the 
needs of settled peoples, but also the needs of the nomadic Arab 
tribes.  End Comment. 
WHITEHEAD