US embassy cable - 92KHARTOUM5035

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 05035 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  OADR 
TAGS: PINR, PGOV, KISL, SU, US 
SUBJECT:  BIO UPDATE:  IBRAHIM SANUSSI 
 
1.  SECRET/NOFORN - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  FOLLOWING IS BASIC BIO DATA ON IBRAHIM SANUSSI: 
 
---BORN 1937 AL UBAYD, KORDOFAN. 
 
---1962 - BAKT AL RUDA TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE, 
DIPLOMA. 
 
---1970 - CAIRO UNIVERSITY, B. LAW. 
WAS A LEADING FIGURE IN THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD 
MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CAIRO UNIVERSITY.  RESPONSIBLE 
FOR ESTABLISHING THE BRANCH OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERS AT 
THE UNIVERSITY.  WON CREDIT FOR NOT BEING OVERRUN BY 
THE NASIRITES AND THE COMMUNISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY. 
 
---1968 - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF AL MERIEKH SPORTS 
CLUB IN OMDURMAN.  DID NOT PLAY A BIG ROLE BUT WAS A 
COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND OF FOUAD AL TOM WHO PUT HIS NAME 
IN THE LIST. 
 
---ARRESTED MARCH 1970 WITH THE REST OF THE LEADING 
MUSLIM BROTHERS.  RELEASED FROM PRISON TOWARDS THE 
END OF 1971 DURING THE AMNESTY GRANTED BY NIMEIRI 
AFTER HE WAS ELECTED AS PRESIDENT. 
 
---1973 - LEADER OF THE UNSUCCESSFUL SHE'BAN 
UPRISING.  FLED TO LIBYA. 
 
---1973-1976 - JOINED THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE 
SUDANESE NATIONAL FRONT AND SPENT HIS TIME TRAVELLING 
BETWEEN LIBYA, BRITAIN, AND SUDAN PREPARING FOR THE 
SO CALLED LIBYAN INVASION. 
 
---IN 1976 CAME TO SUDAN LEADING A DIVISION OF 
FIGHTERS AND WAS IN CHARGE OF EASTERN OMDURMAN AREA 
INCLUDING THE RADIO STATION. 
 
---FLED THE COUNTRY AFTER HIDING FOR SIX MONTHS. 
SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ABSENTIA. 
 
---RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY AFTER THE RECONCILIATION 
IN 1977 AND WORKED IN PRIVATE BUSINESS.  MANAGED TO 
START A TRAVEL AND TOURISM AGENCY IN KHARTOUM. 
DURING THIS PERIOD HE WAS AN ORGANIZER IN THE 
LEADERSHIP OF THE NIF. 
 
---ARRESTED BY NIMEIRI IN MARCH 1985.  RELEASED BY 
THE INTIFADA, APRIL 1985. 
 
---ELECTED FOR THE ASSEMBLY AS NIF (KORDOFAN 
GRADUATES CONSTITUENCY). 
 
---ARRESTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF OMAR AL BASHIR ON 
JUNE 30, 1989 WHEN BASHIR OVERTHREW PRIME MINISTER 
SADIQ AL MAHDI.  RELEASED NOVEMBER, 1989. 
 
3.  AL SANUSSI IS A CLOSE ASSOCIATE AND FRIEND OF 
HASSAN AL TURABI AND IS CONSIDERED THE NUMBER THREE 
IN THE NIF BY MOST OBSERVERS.  HIS PERSONAL CLOSENESS 
TO TURABI IS EVIDENT.  HE WAS ONE OF THOSE WHOM 
TURABI ASKED TO MEET HIM IMMEDIATELY UPON HIS ARRIVAL 
FROM AN OTTAWA HOSPITAL WHERE HE HAD BEEN UNDER CARE 
AFTER BEEN ATTACKED THERE.  SANUSSI ACTS AS TURABI'S 
"MIDDLEMAN" IN ARRANGING MEETINGS, PASSING MESSAGES 
AND SEEING THAT INSTRUCTIONS ARE CARRIED OUT.  IN 
PUBLIC WHERE TURABI IS, SANUSSI IS USUALLY NEARBY. 
WITH THE ILLNESS OF TURABI, HE IS EVEN CLOSER 
PHYSICALLY THAN EVER BEFORE. 
 
4.  IN CONVERSATIONS SANUSSI IS SOFT SPOKEN AND 
ADHERES CLOSELY TO NIF DOCTRINE.  HIS SUPPORTERS, 
THERE ARE A FEW, SAY IT IS BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN IN ON 
THE FORMULATION OF NIF POLICY.  HIS DETRACTORS, THERE 
ARE MORE, SAY HIS ADHERENCE TO NIF POLICY IS LEARNED 
BY ROTE AND DEMONSTRATES THE SHALLOWNESS OF HIS 
MIND.  IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HE FEELS MORE COMFORTABLE 
DISCUSSING THE KORAN THAN DAY-TO-DAY POLITICS. 
 
5.  SURPRISINGLY, NONE BELIEVE THAT HE IS THE HEIR TO 
OR A SERIOUS CANDIDATE FOR HASSAN AL TURABI'S 
POSITION IF TURABI LEAVES THE SCENE.  SANUSSI IS 
CONSIDERED THE TRUSTED AIDE AND THE IMPLEMENTER OF 
INSTRUCTIONS.  THE LONG YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE, 
YEARS IN EXILE AND HIDING, AND TIME SPENT IN PRISON 
CANNOT OUTWEIGH IN THE MIND OF SENIOR NIF MEMBERS THE 
FACT THAT HE IS NOT CONSIDERED AN INTELLECTUAL.  HE 
IS DERISIVELY KNOWN AS THE "SCHOOL TEACHER."  SANUSSI 
IS NOT KNOWN FOR HIS ABILITY IN PUBLIC SPEAKING BUT 
HE IS NOTED FOR HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL.  WITHIN THE 
NIF HE IS NOT A MAN WHOM OTHERS RESPECT FOR HIS 
INTELLECTUAL ABILITY, IMAGINIATION, OR PUBLIC SPEAKING. 
 
6.  COMMENT:  CONVERSATIONS WITH IBRAHIM SANUSSI ARE 
NOT AS INTELLECTUALLY SHALLOW AS HIS OPPONENTS 
INDICATE.  THE "FACT" THAT HE IS NOT PURE SUDANESE 
MIGHT BE A FACTOR, THOUGH SADIQ AL MAHDI, THE FORMER 
PRIME MINISTER AND HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT, SPEAKS 
APPROVINGLY OF HIS PHYSICAL COURAGE AND HONESTY BUT 
ALSO NOTES HE IS NOT A LEADER FOR THE FUTURE. 
 
7.  COMMENT CONTINUED:  IN A REGENCY, IF TURABI 
CANNOT FUNCTION POLITICALLY AS A RESULT OF HIS 
INJURIES, SANUSSI COULD BE A CANDIDATE FOR AN 
INTERREGNUM.  HISTORY IS REPLETE WITH SUCH MEN, I.E. 
JOHN PAUL XXIII.  SANUSSI MAY NOT BE A SUPERIOR 
INTELLECT BUT HE IS A DEVOUT MUSLIM, PHYSICALLY 
COURAGEOUS, WHO HAS PROVEN THAT HE IS COMMITTED TO 
THE NATIONAL ISLAMIC FRONT:  DEFINITELY NO RODNEY 
DANGERFIELD.  IBRAHIM SANUSSI IS CAPABLE OF GAINING 
RESPECT. 
 
 
CHEEK