UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 RELEASED IN PART B1 1 4 D ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 10-00 L-00 VCE-00 M-00 AC-00 NEA-00 NSAE-00 OMB-00 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-00 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 000W EF2F36 200936Z 38 0 R 200439Z FEB 04 FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0194 INFO AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA AMEMBASSY ASMARA AMEMBASSY BANGUI USEU BRUSSELS AMEMBASSY CAIRO CJTF HOA AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY NAIROBI AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA NSC WASHDC REVIEW AUTHORITY Charles Daris Senior Reviewer AMEMBASSY OSLO AMEMBASSY PARIS USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL J5 SECRET KHARTOUM 000171 DEPT FOR AF SG E O 12958 DECL 2 19 2014 TAGS PGOV PINR PREL PREF SU SUBJECT DARFUR A BRIEF PRIMER CLASSIFIED BY GALLUCCIG COM US EMBASSY DOS REASON B D 1 S SUMMARY THE OPPOSITION IN DARFUR IS LED BY THE SUDAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT SLM AND ITS ARMED BRANCH THE SUDAN LIBERATION ARMY SLA THEY ARE JOINED ON THE GROUND BY THE SMALLER NUMBERS OF THE JUSTICE AND EQUALITY MOVEMENT JEM B1 1 4 D IN ADDITION DARFURIANS HAVE A STRONG EXILE COMMUNITY LED BY FORMER LEADERS SOME OF WHOM HAVE BEEN IN EXILE FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS PRESIDENT BESHIR HAS ANNOUNCED THE FORMATION OF A COMMITTEE TO PLAN A NATIONAL CONFERENCE WHICH IS TO BE CHAIRED IN KHARTOUM BY CHADIAN PRESIDENT DEBY THERE Classification Extended on 11 19 2013 - Class CONFIDENTIAL - Authority DSCG 11-1 - Declassify on 02 17 2024 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 ARE REPORTS THAT GOS-PROMISED ACCESS FOR HUMANITARIAN AID IS TAKING PLACE END SUMMARY DARFUR 2 U DARFUR LAND OF THE FUR WAS AN INDEPENDENT SULTANATE UNTIL 1916 WHEN THE BRITISH EXPELLED THE SULTAN AND INCORPORATED IT INTO SUDAN THE REGION NOW COMPRISING THE STATES OF NORTH SOUTH AND WESTERN DARFUR IS SPLIT BETWEEN FARMERS AND NOMADS AND HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN THE SCENE OF TRIBAL CONFLICTS - MOST OF WHICH WERE RESOLVED BY TRIBAL CHIEFS THE LARGEST NON-ARAB TRIBE IS THE FUR WHO OCCUPY THE CENTRAL BELT OF THE REGION INCLUDING THE HIGHLY CONTESTED JEBEL MARRA THE NON-ARAB MASALIT OCCUPY WESTERN SUDAN AND - LIKE THE BERT BARGU BERGID TAMA AND TUNJUR - ARE FARMERS NORTH DARFUR IS THE ZONE OF THE NON-ARAB ZAGHAWA AND BEDEYAT SOME OF WHOM ARE TRADERS AND SOME OF WHOM ARE FARMERS AND CAMEL NOMADS THE LARGEST ARAB TRIBE IS THE REZEIGAT WHO RAISE CATTLE IN SOUTH DARFUR OTHER ARAB TRIBES OF SIGNIFICANCE ARE THE HABBANIYA BENI HALBA TAAISHA AND MAALIYYA DARFUR OCCUPIES APPROXIMATELY ONE-FIFTH OF AFRICA'S LARGEST COUNTRY AND HAS A POPULATION OF ROUGHLY 6-7 MILLION ABOUT ONE-THIRD ARE ARAB THE CONFLICT 3 SBU DARFUR IS POOR AND HAS BEEN MARGINALIZED BY THE NIF GOVERNMENT POLITICAL ALLEGIANCES REST WITH THE UMMA PARTY AND TO A LESSER DEGREE WITH THE PEOPLES NATIONAL CONGRESS PNC TURABI'S PARTY THE DROUGHT WHICH BEGAN IN 1983 DROVE NOMADIC ZAGHAWA AND ARAB GROUPS INTO THE CENTRAL FUR REGION PROVOKING A CONFLICT WHICH WAS NOT RESOLVED BEFORE OVER 5 000 HAD BEEN KILLED AND TENS OF THOUSANDS DISPLACED THE 1990 COUP WHICH BROUGHT IDRIS DEBY TO POWER IN CHAD WAS SUPPORTED BY THE ZAGHAWA WHOSE POPULATION AND TRIBAL LOYALTIES SPAN THE BORDER DEBY IS A ZAGHAWA IN MARCH 2003 FOLLOWING ATTACKS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT FORCES IN NORTH DARFUR THE SLM SLA ISSUED A POLITICAL DECLARATION ACCUSING THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN OF ADHERING TO POLICIES OF MARGINALIZATION DISCRIMINATION EXCLUSION EXPLOITATION AND DIVISIVENESS IT ACCUSED THE GOS OF HELPING ARAB TRIBES TO FIGHT AGAINST THEIR NON-ARAB BRETHREN AND OF A POLICY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING THE DECLARATION ANNOUNCED THAT THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR HAD NO OTHER OPTION BUT TO RESIST AND CLAIMED THAT NEGOTIATION FOR A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES THE DECLARATION WAS SIGNED BY MINN ARKOU MINNAWI AS SECRETARY GENERAL FIGHTING HAS CONTINUED TO THE PRESENT WHEN THE GOS COULD NOT CONTAIN THE REBELS IT ENLISTED THE SUPPORT OF ARAB MILITIA - SOME FROM OUTSIDE SUDAN - KNOWN AS JINJAVVEED WHO HAVE ATTACKED BURNED LOOTED KILLED AND RAPED VILLAGES AND VILLAGERS THROUGHOUT THE AREA IT IS COMMONLY ASSUMED THAT THE ZAGHAWA WELL-KNOWN WARRIORS BEGAN THIS ROUND OF VIOLENCE THE ARAB TRIBES WERE EAGER TO ASSIST THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTAIN WHAT THEY SAW AS THE ZAGHAWA PUSH FOR UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 A TRANS-BORDER ZAGHAWA HOMELAND ON FEBRUARY 9 PRESIDENT BESHIR ANNOUNCED A CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES BECAUSE THE SUDANESE ARMY AFTER WEEKS OF BOMBING - HAD DEFEATED THE REBELS THE SLA RESPONDED BY ATTACKING ROADS THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD AND GOVERNMENT TROOPS THE JINJAWEED CONTINUED TO ROMP THROUGH DARFUR DESTROYING VILLAGES AND CAUSING MORE IDP'S AND REFUGEES THE GOS CLAIMS TO BE WILLING TO REIN IN THE JINJAWEED AND THERE ARE INDICATIONS IT HAS ATTACKED THEM AT LEAST ON TWO OCCASIONS THE GOVERNMENT'S STRONG REACTION IS IN PART ATTRIBUTABLE TO CONCERN THAT TURABI IS USING THE CONFLICT TO WEAKEN PRESIDENT BESHIR THE HUMANITARIAN TOLL HAS BEEN JUST SHORT OF CATASTROPHIC THE GOS IS INCREASINGLY COOPERATING WITH INTERNATIONALLY RELIEF AGENCIES TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE MOST NEEDY AREAS BUT TO DATE IT HAS BEEN A SLOW PROCESS THE REBELS 4 S THE IDENTITY OF REBEL COMMANDERS IS SELDOM ANNOUNCED B1 1 4 D THE SLA SPOKESMEN ARE HASAN MANDELA IBRAHIM AND OMAR BABIKER ABDALLAH BOTH GIVE FREQUENT PHONE INTERVIEWS TO INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA ABDALLAH ABDEL KERIM IS A PRINCIPAL SPOKESMAN FOR THE JEM KHARTOUM LEADERS 5 S MAJOR DARFUR TRIBES HAVE REPRESENTATIVES IN KHARTOUM MOST DARFUR TRIBES HAVE MEMBERS IN CHAD CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AND OTHER COUNTRIES UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 B1 1 4 D THE DARFUR STUDENTS UNION HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY ACTIVE IN KHARTOUM ON FEBRUARY 16 ABOUT 50 STUDENTS MARCHED TO THE UN TO PRESENT A LIST OF GRIEVANCES AND TO CALL ON THE UN AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO IMMEDIATELY PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN AID THE EXILES 6 S WHILE NEW DARFURIANS IN EXILE APPEAR WEEKLY THE CORE GROUP WHICH ASSISTS IN RAISING MONEY AND THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC CONSCIENCE INCLUDES B1 1 4 D UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014 SLA JEM NDA 7 S ACCORDING TO JEM AND SLA MEMBERS POLITICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS DO NOT AFFECT COOPERATION ON THE GROUND B1 1 4 D ON FEBRUARY 16 THE NDA MET IN ASMARA TO CONSIDER REQUESTS FOR MEMBERSHIP BY THE SLA AND PNC GALLUCCI NNNN UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2013-09087 Doc No C05424593 Date 01 22 2014                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu