US embassy cable - 05CAIRO6509

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 006509 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/SPG FOR MARY FLEMING AND PHIL DROUIN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, PINR, MOPS, EG, SU, SA, KBIO 
SUBJECT: SUDAN:  DARFUR REBEL GROUPS AND ZAM ZAM BLOCKADE; 
NEW MFA SUDAN TEAM 
 
REF: STATE 152250 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified by Acting ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Post is unaware of any permanent official 
representation in Egypt of either the Sudan Liberation 
Movement/Army (SLM/A) or the Justice and Equality Movement 
(JEM).  While representatives of these Darfur rebel groups 
may occasionally transit Cairo and engage locally-based 
Sudanese opposition groups and possibly with the GOE on a 
low-key basis, post does not maintain contact with either 
group.  We do engage regularly, however, with the National 
Democratic Alliance, which we understand has ties to the 
Darfur rebel groups.  In future meetings with the NDA 
leadership, we intend to share reftel demarche points and 
request that the message be conveyed to the SLA leadership. 
 
2.  (C) During an August 22 conversation with poloff, MFA 
Sudan Affairs Office Director Afifi Abdelwahab asserted that 
neither the SLM/A nor the JEM maintain offices in Egypt. 
Contact with these groups, he said, was made via Egyptian 
embassies in the region (i.e., "Asmara").  Nevertheless, 
Afifi said that SLM/A Secretary General Mini Menawi had in 
June requested an invitation from the GOE, had been welcomed, 
but failed to show up without explanation.  Asked about 
reports of problems with humanitarian access to refugee camps 
such as the Zam Zam camp in northern Darfur (reftel), 
Abdelwahab said that he was unaware of any such problems. 
Abdelwahab took the opportunity to make a plug for Egypt's 
field hospital located in El Fasher, which he said, 
maintained 13 doctors who had "treated thousands" of Sudanese. 
 
3.  (C) Bio notes:  Afifi Abdelwahab (Minister 
Plenipotentiary) was recently assigned to Jeddah, Saudi 
Arabia as Consul General and plans to arrive there shortly 
with his wife and children.  He welcomed contact with USG 
colleagues while in the Kingdom.  Abdelwahab has been a good 
working-level contact of this Embassy, has proficient English 
language skills, and is positively disposed toward the U.S. 
His previous diplomatic postings to Saudi Arabia should allow 
Afifi to quickly settle in.  Abdelwahab's predecessor in the 
Sudan Affairs job, Mohamed Qassem, is currently Egypt's 
Ambassador to Riyadh, suggesting the importance to Egypt of 
maintaining close relations with the Saudis on Sudan issues. 
Abdelwahab is expected to be replaced in the MFA Sudan 
Affairs Office by Egypt's Ambassador to Kampala, Uganda Mr. 
Mafoum Marzouk (phonetic).  End bio notes. 
 
4.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
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State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
JONES