US embassy cable - 00STATE117658

S E C R E T STATE 117658 
 
NAIROBI FOR EMBASSY KHARTOUM OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/20/10 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, UNSC, SU, FR, NL, AR, BG 
SUBJECT: SUDANESE INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISM 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: EDMUND HULL, DEPUTY COORDINATOR FOR 
COUNTERTERRORISM, S/CT. REASON: 1.5 (B) (C) (D) 
 
REF: STATE 113624 
 
1. (S) THIS IS AN ACTION CABLE. 
 
2. (S) DEPARTMENT UNDERSTANDS THAT THE HOST GOVERNMENTS AT 
ADDRESSEE POSTS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO ENDORSE THE USG 
POSITION AGAINST LIFTING SUDAN SANCTIONS BECAUSE THEY LACK 
EVIDENCE THAT THE SUDANESE GOVERNMENT STILL SUPPORTS 
TERRORISM. THE FOLLOWING NON-PAPER, WHICH IS CLASSIFIED 
SECRET/RELEASABLE TO FRANCE, ARGENTINA, BANGLADESH, AND THE 
NETHERLANDS, CONTAINS USG INFORMATION IMPLICATING KHARTOUM 
IN CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM. EMBASSIES ARE 
REQUESTED TO SHARE THIS NON-PAPER WITH HOST GOVERNMENT 
INTERLOCUTORS AT AN APPROPRIATE SENIOR LEVEL IN AN ATTEMPT 
TO PERSUADE THEM THAT UNSC SANCTIONS SHOULD NOT BE LIFTED 
AT THIS TIME. 
 
3. (S/RELEASABLE TO FRANCE, ARGENTINA, BANGLADESH, AND THE 
NETHERLANDS ONLY - ENTIRE TEXT) BEGIN TEXT OF NON-PAPER: 
 
CURRENT STATUS OF SUDAN'S SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM 
 
WE HAVE OBSERVED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SUDAN'S SUPPORT 
FOR TERRORISM SINCE THE DECEMBER 1999 POLITICAL SHAKEUP IN 
WHICH PRESIDENT OMAR AL-BASHIR CONSOLIDATED POWER AND 
SIDELINED NATIONAL ISLAMIC FRONT (NIF) LEADER HASSAN AL- 
TURBAI. TERRORISTS FROM A VARIETY OF ISLAMIC EXTREMIST 
GROUPS---SUCH AS USAMA BIN LADIN'S ORGANIZATION, EGYPTIAN 
ISLAMIC JIHAD (EIJ), AND HAMAS---CONTINUE TO USE SUDAN FOR 
SAFEHAVEN, TRAINING, AND, IN SOME CASES, AS A PLATFORM TO 
PLAN OPERATIONS. 
 
USAMA BIN LADIN 
 
SUDAN'S CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT APPEARS TO HAVE HAD LITTLE 
EFFECT ON BIN LADIN OPERATIVES, WHO CONTINUE TO OPERATE 
FREELY FROM KHARTOUM. SEVERAL BIN LADIN BUSINESSES--- 
INCLUDING ATYAF INVESTMENTS AND THE KHARTOUM TANNERYE---ARE 
RUN BY AL-QA'IDA LIEUTENANTS AND STILL OPERATE IN SUDAN, 
ALTHOUGH THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE 
 
-- SUDAN MAINTAINS A FINANCIAL STAKE IN SOME OF THESE 
COMPANIES AND HAS TRIED TO OBSCURE BIN LADIN'S COMMERCIAL 
TIES BY CHANGING THE NAME OF AT LEAST ONE OF HIS COMPANIES. 
 
EGYPTIAN GROUPS 
 
THE EIJ AND AL-GAMA'AT AL-ISLAMIYYA ALSO RECEIVE SAFEHAVEN 
AND SUPPORT IN SUDAN. MORE THAN 20 EIJ AND GAMA'AT MEMBERS 
AFFILIATED WITH BIN LADIN ARE OPERATING IN SUDAN AND MEET 
ON A REGULAR BASIS TO DISCUSS COMMON ISSUES OF CONCERN. 
 
-- SENIOR GAMA'AT LEADER RIFA'I TAHA MUSA---WHO IS ALLIED 
WITH BIN LADIN AND LST OCTOBER CALLED FOR AN INCREASE IN 
ANTI-US ATTACKS---TRAVELED TO SUDAN IN APRIL TO RALLY LOCAL 
GAMA'AT SUPPORT FOR HIS PLAN TO RETURN THE GROUP TO VIOLENT 
OPERATIONS. 
 
PALESTINIAN GROUPS 
 
SEVERAL PALESTINIAN EXTREMIST GROUPS---SUCH AS HAMAS, THE 
PALESTINE ISLAMIC JIHAD (PIJ) AND THE ABU NIDAL 
ORGANIZATION (ANO)--MAINTAIN A PRESENCE IN SUDAN AND 
CONTINUE TO CONDUCT A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING 
FUNDRAISING, RECRUITMENT, IDEOLOGICAL AND PARAMILITARY 
TRAINING, AND OTHER LOGISTICAL SUPPORT ACTIVITIES. 
 
-- HAMAS--WHICH HAS A FEW HUNDRED SUPPORTERS AMONG THE 
LOCAL PALESTINIAN POPULATION--HAS AN OFFICIAL 
REPRESENTATIVE IN KHARTOUM, OPERATES AT LEAST ONE SMALL 
FRONT COMPANY, AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL NGOS THERE. 
 
-- THE PIJ MAINTAINS A SMALLER PRESENCE THAN HAMAS IN 
SUDAN BUT HAS AN OFFICE AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATION IN 
KHARTOUM. ITS MEMBERSHIP IS PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF 
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, AND IT ALSO OPERATES SMALL COMMERCIAL 
VENTURES. 
 
SOME INFORMATION INDICATES THAT THESE GROUPS HAVE BEEN WARY 
OF POSSIBLE CHANGES IN SUDANESE POLICY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, 
SUGGESTING THEY HAVE MADE PREPARATIONS TO LEAVE SUDAN. 
OTHER SOURCES INDICATE, HOWEVER, THAT PIJ OPERATIVES 
MAINTAIN CLOSE TIES TO THE SUDANESE REGIME DESPITE THE 
CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT. 
 
IRAN AND NGO'S 
 
SUDAN ALSO PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR IRAN TO MEET WITH 
EXTREMIST GROUPS AND SUPPORTS VARIOUS NON-GOVERNMENTAL 
ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROMOTE TERRORIST ACTIVITY. 
 
-- IRAN COUNTS ON SUDAN'S GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY AND BENIGN 
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT TO ALLOW IRANIAN AGENTS TO MEET WITH 
AND CHANNEL FUNDS, WEAPONS, AND TRAINING TO ISLAMIC 
EXTREMISTS. 
 
-- KHARTOUM'S WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE PROVIDING SAFEHAVEN 
FOR VARIOUS RADICAL PALESTINIAN GROUPS FACILITATES IRAN'S 
EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THEIR TERRORIST OPERATIONS AGAINST 
ISRAEL AND TO IMPROVE THEIR OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES. 
 
AFRICAN OPPOSITIONISTS 
 
BASHIR HAS TAKEN SOME INITIAL STEPS TO IMPROVE RELATIONS 
WITH ERITREA AND ETHIOPIA SINCE TAKING OFFICE, BUT A 
VARIETY OF REPORTS SUGGEST THAT SUDAN STILL AIDS OPPOSITION 
GROUPS FROM THESE COUNTRIES AND OTHERS---INCLUDING SOMALIA 
AND UGANDA. KHARTOUM PROVIDES THESE GROUPS WITH FUNDING, 
ARMS, MILITARY ASSISTANCE, AND SAFEHAVEN. 
 
LIMITED PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE 
 
BASHIR WILL MOVE AGAINST SOME EXTREMIST GROUPS ONLY IF IT 
SERVES SUDAN'S BROADER ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTERESTS AND 
ASSISTS HIM IN HIS ONGOING BATTLE WITH TURABI'S NIF 
FACTION. PROGRESS WILL ONLY COME SLOWLY. WE CANNOT 
CONFIRM THAT KHARTOUM HAS DEPORTED ANY TERRORIST GROUPS OR 
INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. 
 
-- BASHIR'S OUSTER OF THE POPULAR ARAB AND ISLAMIC 
CONFERENCE (PAIC) IS AN EARLY INDICATOR THAT HE COULD PLACE 
TRAVEL AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON SOME EXTREMISTS TO ISOLATE 
TURABI FURTHER AND TO PLACATE THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER 
GOVERNMENTS, SUCH AS SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAIT, WHICH HAVE 
CRITICIZED SUDAN'S SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM. 
 
-- BASHIR HAS TAKEN SOME STEPS--SUCH AS SIGNING 
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS TO COMBAT TERRORISM--IF ONLY TO 
ATTRACT MORE WESTERN EUROPEAN AND MODERATE ARAB BUSINESSMEN 
AND TO GAUGE THE RESIDUAL STRENGTH OF TURABI'S SUPPORTERS. 
BUT HE NONETHELESS HAS NOT TAKEN ACTION CONSISTENT WITH 
THOSE CONVENTIONS. 
 
(END TEXT OF NON-PAPER) 
 
 
ALBRIGHT