Cablegate: Chad: Slm Reports Chad Rebels Regrouping
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
271716Z Dec 05
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VCI-00
TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCIE-00 NSAE-00 ISN-00
NSCE-00 OIC-00 OIG-00 OMB-00 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00
P-00 ISNE-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 IIP-00
PMB-00 DRL-00 G-00 SAS-00 /000W
------------------758AC2 271748Z /03
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2822
INFO AMEMBASSY ABUJA
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USMISSION GENEVA
UNCLAS NDJAMENA 001852
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV CD SU
SUBJECT: CHAD: SLM REPORTS CHAD REBELS REGROUPING
1. (SBU) Summary: SLM General Coordinator Adam Shogar
warned Charge that the Sudanese government was arming and
supporting Chadian rebels in the Darfur region and that
movement of new vehicles and arms indicated that the rebels
were gearing up for a new attack. Shogar stated that SLM was
trying to respect the cease-fire agreement, but that the
fighting between the Government of Chad (GOC) and Chadian
rebels was going to affect SLM bases along the border.
Shogar warned that the SLM would "not wait to be attacked."
End Summary.
2. (SBU) Charge met with N'djamena-based Sudanese Liberation
Movement (SLM) General Coordinator Adam Shogar and SLM
Vice-Chairman Khamis Abdulla December 24 at their request.
Shogar informed Charge that the SLM intended to have a
conference once the peace talks concluded in Abuja. He noted
that to date there has not been a comprehensive conference.
In this context, he alluded to the problems that SLM
breakaway leader Mini Minawi had caused by holding his own
conference. Shogar reported that Mini was losing his
supporters in the field who were defecting from Mini's camp
to other groups. Shogar asked Charge to convey the message
that the SLM was hard pressed by the international community
to cooperate with the peace talks without being given an
opportunity for the SLM to organize themselves.
3. (SBU) Shogar turned next to the situation on the
Sudan/Chad border. He noted that there was fighting in the
border between the GOC troops and Chadian rebels. Shogar
stated that the Chadian rebels were "fully supported by
Government of Sudan (GOS)" and claimed that SLM knew where
the rebel camps were and what the GOS was supplying in terms
of weapons and vehicles. By way of example, he stated that
on or about December 9, Chadian rebels joined the GOS in
fighting in western Darfur (Masteri, some 45 kilometers from
Al-Geneina.) Shogar reported that SLM had seen the Chadian
rebels moving from their camps with 17 vehicles, and meeting
up with GOS forces, including 3 helicopter gunships and 2
antonovs. Shogar stated that janjaweed fighters had joined
the GOS and Chadian rebels. In an aside, Shogar stated that
it was difficult to distinguish between janjaweed fighters
and Chadian rebels because, in his words: "most of them are
Chadian arabs." Shogar also noted that some three days before
the Adre attack, the Chadian rebels had also been involved in
the attack on Jabal Um. Shogar said that Chadian rebels
numbered more than 10,000, but less than 20,000. He
explained that he reached this number by adding in "all the
janjaweed."
4. (SBU) Shogar explained that the SLM was trying to respect
the cease-fire agreement, but that the GOS was still looting,
abducting and attacking. The current conflict between GOC
and Chadian rebels across the border would "add fuel to the
fire" of an already highly volatile situation. In the
meantime, Shogar said that they had learned that the GOS had
brought 300 toyota vehicles to Al-Geneina on December 23 for
use by Chadian rebels. Chadian rebels, according to Shogar,
were being armed and provided new vehicles and were preparing
for a new attack. Shogar explained that the SLM's
preoccupation was that the fighting would affect the SLM as
they have bases along the border. Furthermore, he stated,
that if the situation continued, the SLM would not wait to be
attacked. He recognized that such acts jeopardized the
cease-fire agreement, but stated that they had no alternative
but to fight.
TAMLYN
NNNN