US State Department cables from places I have served plus items from my time as a UN peacekeeper. To increase public awareness of how diplomacy and peacekeeping are (were) actually done. All cables cleared by USG FOIA procedure. Cables are mostly those sent under my name from my posts but also others in which I was directly involved. UN documents and other items will also include occasional notes and background. Most recent in series on top with cables under the new series of UN documents.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
04 Khartoum 0162 -- EU Pressing on Darfur, Meeting Rebels
Labels:
cable,
conflict,
Darfur,
diplomacy,
Dutch,
El Fasher,
El Geneina,
EU,
human rights,
hunger,
jinjaweed,
Kutum,
rebels,
Sudan,
UK,
US
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
04 Khartoum 0161 -- Washington delegation travels to Darfur (plus note from journal)
Journal entry for January 15: I
can hardly remember how I started the day, some meeting at the UN, I
believe. I had two there today and then ended up at the UN rep's for
dinner. (He is being canned, in part because USAID doesn't like
him.) In between, I had Ken Bacon to my house for a meeting with him
and his staff. He was press spokesman for the Pentagon under
Clinton.... We had a good chat; he is CEO of some refugee-related NGO, maybe a
Demo front organization. I sought to put out a balanced, nuanced
picture of reality here. He seemed to buy it.
Mikie
(Mckinley) and Mike (Ranneberger) come back tomorrow for one more day of trying to
micro-manage my embassy and me. I sent a few cables this weekend
that may take some of the wind from USAID's sails as they try to
parley seeing burning villages into a declaration of war against the
thugs we happen to be working with now. But tomorrow I plan to sleep
in and find some time to open my present.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Journal Entries for February 13 & 14, 2004:
February 13: The house is empty again and I'm fading already. It was an exciting few days. Between USAID and State fighting it out and at the same time trying to end two wars, there were moments of interest. Was fun watching McKinley operating. He can't stand to see a moment go by without launching a bureaucratic or policy-oriented action of some sort. Compared to him, I am a watcher and I draw lines that he fudges with ease. Though to be fair to myself, I have been doing pretty well here with the little info that filters to me from DC. Armed with the information gleaned from my visitors and their "elephant love-making," I believe we can stay a bit ahead of the home office. The next two months will tell if the peace process will work out or not. After that, US domestic politics, the elections and the coming of a new Assistant Secretary from USAID will pull the rug out from under a balanced approach to Sudan. I alerted my CT guys here to beef up cooperation so we can create some countervailing facts on the ground.
I plan to sleep in tomorrow and then do nothing. Even closed the Embassy comms so no one has an excuse to work.
February 14: Meant to do nothing but spent most of the day working on getting government people to understand that my visitors in Darfur did not get arrested and to let them know they will have big political problems with the US if they don't move quickly to stop the violence. Finally did get to relax with dinner of stuffed peppers from the food stash left by James. Then went out onto my patio for a martini, which I am hoping will depress my system somewhat. Running on adrenalin and 5 hours sleep, I need to come down a bit.
I plan to sleep in tomorrow and then do nothing. Even closed the Embassy comms so no one has an excuse to work.
February 14: Meant to do nothing but spent most of the day working on getting government people to understand that my visitors in Darfur did not get arrested and to let them know they will have big political problems with the US if they don't move quickly to stop the violence. Finally did get to relax with dinner of stuffed peppers from the food stash left by James. Then went out onto my patio for a martini, which I am hoping will depress my system somewhat. Running on adrenalin and 5 hours sleep, I need to come down a bit.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Journal Entry for January 31: Visit to Sufi Mosque
Last evening I
went to a Sufi mosque in Omdurman to watch part of their worship
service. The Sheikh of the Summaniyya sect invited me when I first
met him last year. The Sufis are a major tradition in Islam going
back several hundred years. There are many Sufi “schools”, or
sects, each founded by a particular sheikh (teacher). Sufi sects are
various disciplines of worship usually seeking some sort of mystical
(or inner) union with God (Allah). Some achieve this through music
and dance. The “whirling dervishes” come from those Sufi sects
that find mystical transport through dance. Sufism is popular in
Sudan and fits the mostly gentle and tolerant approach of the
Sudanese people. Sufism is pretty much the exact opposite of
Islamist extremism.
The
three largest sects in Sudan – the Mahdiyya,
Khatmiyya and Summaniyya – are Sufi. Sheikh
Hassan Qaribullah invited me to attend part of the prayer ceremony
that actually started in the early afternoon and went on until late
night. I arrived at 5:30 as they started the chanting phase and left
– after a cup of tea with the Sheikh’s son – as they went into
quiet prayer and discussion.
The
ceremony took place outside of the Mosque on a street closed for the
event on every Friday. The ground was spread with carpets and I took
my shoes off to enter. Carpets were hung also on the fences and
walls. Younger men were on one side and the sect’s elders on the
other. They were chanting and bowing when I got there. Summaniyya
is popular in Islamic Africa and I can see why. The chanting and
movement was very African. The men did not dance in the sense of
moving around but they did in place every dance step I’d ever seen
in Africa or from Africa. There was even a brief moment I thought I
was watching a long line of The Four Tops. The rhythm was African and
there was even a touch of blues and jazz. The Sheikh or one of the
elders led the chants – invocations of Allah – using microphones
to be sure to encourage others in the neighborhood to join them. One
of the younger men also had a mike to emphasize the various
vocalizations they made along with their movements. There was no
music per se but it was quite hypnotic and though I sat there for
almost two hours, I didn’t want it to end. But at sunset, an elder
called evening prayer and – after the Sheikh formally thanked me
for attending -- I was invited inside for tea. Everyone was very
nice and quite pleased the American Charge attended their prayers.
They were also anxious to tell me that they are not political and
like America. They don’t understand why America doesn’t like
Sudan. I assured them that while we had problems with the
fundamentalist government of the 90’s, we want better relations
now. It was a very pleasant and moving evening.
Ascending....
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Bits from January 2004 Journal
January
27: Well, no snow or
ice here except for the cubes in my drink. Just came up from having
a nightcap with my visiting Marine BG. Nice evening talking pro to
pro. Evening is quite nice with pleasant chill in the air. Turns
out too that his Marine bodyguard was the deputy commander of the
Marine contingent in Brasilia. He remembers the day we took the
picture of Andy in full regalia!
Shit
happening in and about Darfur. Washington is ready to jump in head
first and I'm trying to point out that the pool might not have as
much water as they think.
January
28: Last night was
quite cool but had to get up early to see off my guest. Tonight I am
too tired to write or open the windows. Day ended with 3 1/2 hour
intense meeting with Assistant President. Was supposed to be at pizza
night with staff. This weekend will last 8 days with Eid. Rest
then.
January
30: The weather has
been quite nice since I got back from holidays. The
evenings are cool and the temperature falls to the lower 60 by early
morning. Over the weekend, we are supposed to hit the 50s. This is
open window weather and I do. Even during the day, in the office, I
open the windows and the breeze makes it comfortable all day. (I'm
on the 6th floor and can see to both Nile Rivers.) Not for years
have I been able to open the windows in the office. Very nice.
With
windows open, the air cools nicely in my house. I also get the
smells of the city. Most every night, this includes the smell of
burning garbage but is bearable and passes quickly. One morning this
week, it was so bad it woke me and I put on a face mask that I has
been reserving for the sand storms. But windows open is too good to
pass up. Locals say it'll only last to February.
With
the windows open, I hear lots of things. At night I hear sometimes
the bass rhythms of Arab music. This morning as I was waking, I
heard several different kinds of birds singing. The early morning
sounds start earlier. I hear the night trains and their whistles as
they pull into Khartoum Station. The first call to prayer is around
5:30. I can sleep through that but usually stir and then go back to
sleep. For some reason, not all the mosques use the same schedule
and there seems to be a second call around six. This week, perhaps
because of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), the first call to prayer
also seems to come with a chorus of some kind. There is much I don't
know about Islam.
A
boy's school sits just down the block from me. The boys all wear
green pajamas (they look like pajamas to me). They start school
pretty early. Well, the morning sounds include what I have taken to
calling the Daily Harangue. Remember the school assemblies of old?
Well, these may be like them. A voice, on a big load speakers,
starts speaking something that sounds like the call to prayer. Very
pleasant to listen to, almost like singing. But then he switches
into the voice I imagine the Ayatollahs use to excite the faithful to
slaughter the infidels. This goes on for some time and actually has
convinced me not to go outside during it. Then as suddenly as it
began, the harangue stops and the voice assumes the tome and cadence
of your high school principal. When the daily is over, I know it's
time to get up. Sort of a Khartoum alarm clock. I'll miss it when
it's time to go back to AC.
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