VZCZCXRO3785
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0254/01 0461424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 151421Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0198
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE
IGAD COLLECTIVE
UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000254 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MOPS PINR PREL ASEC SU CD
SUBJECT: DARFUR SECURITY UPDATE: FIGHTING RESUMES IN JEBEL MARRA 
BETWEEN GOS AND SLA/AW; JEM ATTACKS ON JEBEL MOON 
 
REF: 10 KHARTOUM 102 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On February 10, intense fighting broke out 
between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and Sudan Liberation 
Army/Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) rebels in East Jebel Marra, according to 
UN and humanitarian sources. The scope of casualties and civilian 
displacement remains unknown, though the United Nations-African 
Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) will attempt to undertake a 
previously-planned mission to the area during the week of February 
¶14. Meanwhile in West Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement 
(JEM) has been launching attacks on SLA/AW positions in the Jebel 
Moon area since January 28, causing mass displacement of civilians 
from nearby villages. GOS aircraft have also been observed 
conducting aerial bombardment in the area targeting JEM movement. 
In South Darfur, Arab militiamen attacked Hajjar IDP camp near Kass 
on February 9 in apparent retaliation for the killing of one of 
their own. A UNAMID patrol reported burning and looting in the camp 
by Arab militia, though the situation is now calm following GOS 
intervention. End Summary. 
 
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FIGHTING BREAKS OUT IN EAST JEBEL MARRA 
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¶2. (SBU) On the morning of February 10, humanitarian sources 
reported that intense fighting had broken out between SLA/AW and 
the GOS in the area of Kidingeer in East Jebel Marra (approximately 
40 kilometers southeast of Deribat). The fighting reportedly 
expanded to the villages of Leiba (northwest of Kidingeer) and 
Fugoli that afternoon, and to the village of Kara on February 11. 
(Note: Kidingeer and Leiba are SLA/AW strongholds located at the 
base of Jebel Marra at low ground. End Note.) Casualties from 
either side remain unknown, though villagers and IDPs from Leiba, 
Feina, Dulda and Fugoli reportedly fled northward toward the hills 
of Jebel Marra to escape the fighting.  Also on February 11, the UN 
Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) relocated 27 international NGO 
staff members from the Gurlambanj and Deribat to Nyala as a result 
of the fighting. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Fighting between the GOS and SLA/AW in Eastern Jebel Marra 
reportedly continued on February 12 and 13. On February 14, UNAMID 
sources told poloff they received reports (yet to be confirmed) 
that SLA/AW claimed to have defeated GOS troops in Kara and pushed 
them out of Kidingeer. The status of a planned UNAMID visit to 
Deribat in East Jebel Marra during the week of February 14 remains 
unclear.  It had been previously arranged with the consent of local 
SLA/AW commanders, but there is uncertainty if the latter will 
remain committed to UNAMID's visit in the wake of the fighting. 
(Note: UNAMID has had little to no access to SLA/AW areas in recent 
months due to the refusal of SLA/AW to allow UNAMID onto its 
territory. End Note.) 
 
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JEM MAKES PUSH FOR JEBEL MOON 
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¶4. (SBU) In West Darfur, JEM forces have been attacking the Jebel 
Moon area since January 28, according to UN and rebel sources. On 
January 29, a UNAMID patrol in Sector West observed heavy firing 
and smoke from the direction of Jebel Moon, near Sileah. The team 
spoke with a local GOS military commander, who reported that JEM 
and SLA/Minnawi forces had been fighting in the area since January 
¶28. (Note: in a February 6 meeting, former rebel leader Minni 
Minnawi told poloff (septel) that JEM has been sporadically 
attacking his forces in various locales, including Jebel Moon, 
since January 16. End Note.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) On February 3, emboff spoke to Ibrahim Ahmed Nasir, an 
SLA/AW Commander in Jebel Moon, who affirmed that JEM had been 
attacking his forces in the Jebel Moon area since January 28. 
(Note: Historically a hotbed of rebel activity, the Jebel Moon area 
has hosted numerous rebel factions over the years. JEM maintained a 
base in Jebel Moon up until 2007, until it was pushed out by a GOS 
offensive. SLA/AW is known to have a longtime presence in the area, 
albeit a very small one. End note.) Nasir stated that JEM had 
launched its assault with a force of over 25 vehicles and had used 
106mm mortars, 140mm artillery shells and 120mm rocket launchers in 
the attacks. He said he had refused to surrender despite numerous 
calls from JEM to do so.  Nasir also said that what he claimed was 
 
KHARTOUM 00000254  002 OF 002 
 
 
JEM's aggression had resulted in mass displacement and several 
civilian casualties. 
 
¶6. (SBU) A UNAMID mission to nearby Sileah on February 6 spoke to 
local authorities and INGO representatives, who reported that 
nearly 4000 villagers were displaced as a result of the fighting 
between JEM and SLA/AW, which also resulted in the death of four 
civilians. It was also reported that JEM was vandalizing water 
installations as collective punishment for those who refused to 
enlist in the movement, and had arrested youth who resisted being 
recruited. A follow-on UNAMID patrol to Sileah on February 9 was 
stopped by suspected JEM fighters and prevented from proceeding 
when it was approximately six kilometers from the town. 
 
¶7. UNAMID sources told poloff that they had also observed regular 
flyovers of Jebel Moon by GOS aircraft conducting reconnaissance 
and also engaged in sporadic bombing of JEM movement positions. 
While it is possible the GOS military could intervene and attempt 
to take control of Jebel Moon, UNAMID sources believed it was more 
likely that the GOS would wait to take action until after SLA/AW 
and JEM had become sufficiently weakened from fighting with each 
other. 
 
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KILLING RESULTS IN MILITIA ATTACK ON KASS AREA IDP CAMP 
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--------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) On the evening of February 8, a uniformed Arab militiaman 
was shot dead by an unknown perpetrator, who stole his AK-47 rifle 
and allegedly fled towards Hajjar IDP camp in Kass, according to 
UNDSS sources. The following day armed relatives of the deceased, 
reportedly from the Taalba tribe, retaliated by attacking the camp. 
They burned and looted the camp marketplace until GOS security 
forces intervened. UNDSS reports that many people were arrested by 
GOS police, and that calm has been restored. A South Darfur State 
Security Committee led by the Wali convened shortly thereafter and 
blood money was paid to the deceased's family, further calming the 
situation. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: The clashes in East Jebel Marra resurrect fears 
that the GOS may seek to consolidate territorial gains it has made 
over the past several months by enacting its long-rumored 
"five-point" plan for capturing the rebel-held mountain stronghold. 
With SLA/AW forces in Jebel Marra logistically-strained, 
internally-divided and weakened by violent infighting (reftel), the 
GOS military command may be seeking to exploit the situation by 
gaining a foothold in the area, starting with the low ground bases 
such as Kidingeer. While the mountainous terrain is no doubt 
forbidding, various unpaved roads do afford access in and out of 
the region. Due to the scarcity of information, however, it is 
unclear whether the fighting is indeed part of a coordinated 
air-ground attack aimed at taking Jebel Marra. JEM meanwhile 
continues to be a destabilizing force inside Darfur, and its quest 
to occupy and hold territory inside Sudan will likely continue to 
result in violence. 
WHITEHEAD