VZCZCXRO4773
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0816 1491038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281038Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0934
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000816
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, SE WILLIAMSON
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM EAID MOPS KPKO SOCI UNSC SU
SUBJECT: NORTH DARFUR ATTACKS APPEAR TO TARGET SLA/MM
REF: Khartoum 749
1. (SBU) A spate of attacks in North Darfur has resulted in the
deaths of at least 13 Sudanese Liberation Army/Minni Minawi (SLA/MM)
rebels in the last week. According to UN Department of Safety and
Security (UNDSS), fighting erupted on May 20 in Kafoud between
SLA/MM and SLA/Free Will (SLA/FW), after local authorities asked
SLA/MM to vacate the town (NOTE: Kafoud village, approximately 60km
north of El Fasher in North Darfur, has been the scene of much
fighting during the month of May. Most of the fighting has involved
SLA/MM, which controls the area, and SLA/FW, dominated by Tunjur
tribe members. On May 2 a senior SLA/MM commander was shot and
killed by suspected SLA/FW elements in Kafoud. END NOTE).
2. (SBU) UNDSS reports that combatants allied with Free Will
approached Kafoud at night on May 20 and attacked positions held by
SLA/MM, killing five. Much like the IDP camp in Tawila, emptied
after conflict earlier in the month (reftel), residents fled Kafoud
to nearby hills and villages. SLA/MM denied access to the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but its own medical
team was able to treat 16 wounded persons and operate on six in Dar
Salaam, including notable SLA/MM commander Juma Mendi, who was
seriously injured in the attack. The humanitarian response in
Kafoud will begin only when fighting ceases, and will include a
security assessment to be conducted by UNDSS.
3. (SBU) According to UNOCHA, two SLA/MM members were shot and
killed by Arab militiamen on the street in Kabkabiya May 21 in broad
daylight. Additionally, on May 25, according to SLA/MM, six SLA/MM
soldiers, traveling to Dar Salaam to visit their injured commander
Mendi, were killed in a gunfight with Central Reserve Police near
Gaour, southeast of El Fasher. Two injured rebels were taken to Dar
Salaam for treatment by the ICRC.
4. (SBU) Adam Ali War, representative of SLA/MM in El Fasher, met
with Fieldoffs on May 26 to discuss the situation and SLA/MM's
response to the recent attacks. Ali War acknowledged SLA/MM's
recent losses and explained that SLA/MM is now a victim of a
concerted Government of Sudan (GoS) effort to incite rival rebel
groups to inflict significant casualties on SLA/MM. Ali War hinted
that Free Will has become a de facto GoS militia, driving brand new
military vehicles and led by a GoS "captain" in military uniform
(NOTE: SLA/FW interlocutors have denied this charge, but FieldOffs
will follow up with them and report septel. END NOTE). Not
optimistic about the chances for peace in Darfur this year, Ali War
predicted the upcoming rainy season will bring further unrest, as
armed groups in Darfur will continue to fight despite lack of access
in certain pockets of Darfur.
5. (SBU) Local word-of-mouth indicates government targeting of
SLA/MM may not be the sole cause for recent unrest. Darfuris
indicate the SLA/MM's checkpoints are a normal feature of life in
Darfur; rebels form checkpoints on key roads and bridges in North
and South Darfur, demanding tolls from all passing travelers. There
are reports of SLA/MM going house to house in occupied towns and
villages, demanding "protection money."
6. (SBU) COMMENT: The only Darfur rebel group that currently
participates in the Government of National Unity, SLA/MM may sit in
the path of an oncoming "perfect storm." While simultaneously
losing support in Darfur and actively at odds with the GoS, SLA/MM
appears vulnerable to circling rivals. With the GoS announcing
recently it did not intend to abide by any terms of the ceasefire
agreement, and the recent JEM attack on Omdurman emboldening rebels
throughout the region, Darfur's precarious political balance among
rebels groups may tip, sending the region into further conflict.
POWERS