VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKH #1024/01 1210706
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZDK CITE RUEHCB SVC 4949
O 010706Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2564
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 001024 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SOCI KWMN SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN/NGO ACT: NO PROGRESS 
 
IN SIGHT 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 00669 
 
Classified By: P/E Chief E.Whitaker Reason: Section 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  On April 26 the Sub-Joint Implementation 
Mechanism (SUB-JIM) met to discuss Sudan's progress on 
combating violence against women (VAW).  Overall, the 
Government of National Unity (GNU) believes that it has 
almost fulfilled its legal obligation to combat violence 
against women.  The UN highlighted that the South Darfur 
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Committee had visited 
police stations outside of Nyala; where they determined that 
there had been no change in the situation.  The UN reported 
that the South Darfur SGBV Committee said police stations 
were unaware of Amended Circular 2 (legal framework to 
separate the legal and medical tracks for SGBV victims), 
lacked the knowledge to properly register cases of SGBV, 
failed to create a private space for women in police 
stations, had a low registration of rape cases, and did not 
have logistical support to conduct investigations.  The 
European Commission (EC) representative also raised the 
recent closure of an EC-funded national NGO due to the 
retroactive application of the NGO Act.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
SGBV Committees Not Functioning; Interim Steps not Taken 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶2. (C) The April 26 SUB-JIM, led by UNMIS Human Rights Chair 
Ravindran Daniel and GNU Advisory Council for Human Rights 
(ACHR) Rappateur Dr. Abdelmoniem Taha, was attended by 
representatives from the African Union and the Dutch, 
British, and German embassies.  Daniel began the meeting by 
highlighting that, although, the South Darfur GBV Committee 
had visited five police stations outside of Nyala town, the 
situation in South Darfur had not improved.  He added that 
the Committee members had observed that the police outside of 
Nyala town lacked knowledge on the proper registration 
procedures for SGBV cases, failed to create a private space 
for women in police stations, had a low registration of rape 
cases, and lacked logistical support to conduct SGBV 
investigations.  These were the four interim steps that the 
South Darfur State SGBV Committee had agreed to address in 
March (see reftel).  Furthermore, instead of aiming to 
document and highlight SGBV problems, Daniel said that the 
Committee was more interested in downplaying the scope of the 
problem.  He said that, although the South Darfur SGBV 
Committee was functioning, the West Darfur SGBV Committee met 
irregularly and had not planned nor implemented any programs. 
 The North Darfur SGBV Committee was not functioning. 
 
¶3. (C) Dr. Abdel Moniem Taha responded by saying that 
establishing SGBV committees in each of the three Darfur 
states was a commendable first step.  The next step, he said, 
should be to establish a clear mandate for the SGBV 
Committees and a unified understanding of their roles.  In 
his opinion, the government had almost "fulfilled its legal 
mandate to combat violence against women (VAW) and had done a 
commendable step in amending the legal requirements for 
victims."  Dr. Taha cited a decrease in rape as evidence that 
the Plan of Action to combat VAW was effective.  In addition, 
Dr. Taha said that he was concerned about the lack of 
involvement by NGOs and tribal and religious leaders to 
address SGBV.  The GNU, he said, was waiting for the 
international community, the African Union, and NGOs to 
progress forward on the Plan of Action.  The NGOs had a duty 
to reqort cases to the SBV Comoittees to trancfEr th%m"tkQt`e DstribT AtvOvneyl(he(dde|/ iCmmf~tz(!Dyrin8hisQ-Q2e`5tij, Db&Tai ga wQsbl9 v~k/mffuAfm QmwQ"`gMQdku{wlaD&ap`lccce{}aBks"&QuQz98dN xm!qs#qe6m 
NlaKjqgvnQ.--Q/!h-+1.?,%#!Q/.Q-%m-,=!]'Q.Q5-' n5(Qh=!5"mQ(qQ|G/dfo*'Qocyj9UQF!Qoq$Qaw(>eMn] H#Q~():=3)3MQQ+Qm\nAQ+Qmmunity to fulfill its 
responsibility in the Plan of Action.  Poloff also raised the 
April 25 press conference by the new Director of Police, Lt 
General Mahjoub Hassan Saad, in which he refuted "Western 
mass media" allegations about crimes of rape in Darfur, 
saying those allegations were unfounded.  In response, Dr. 
Taha said that the GNU had acknowledged there was a problem 
by creating a Plan of Action and a unit to combat violence 
against women.  He dismissed the press conference, saying 
that the Director General was newly appointed to the Ministry 
of Interior. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IN SIGHT 
 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Retroactive Application of the NGO Act 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The European Commission (EC) representative, Luca 
Pertonni, raised the NGO Act and the recent closure of the 
national NGO &Women Awareness Raising Group8 (AWOON-Red 
Sea).  On April 20, the women's activist organization was 
suspended for reportedly not registering its program proposal 
with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) prior to receiving 
funding from the EC.  Pertonni stated that the AWOON-Red Sea 
proposed their program over two years ago and it was funded 
by the EC before the enactment of the Act.  Dr. Taha 
responded by saying that the government had a right to know 
about the funding for NGOs to prevent &hands of foreign 
intervention in Sudan.8  Pertonni highlighted that a letter 
had been forwarded to the ACHR for action regarding the 
closure of AWOON-Red Sea. 
STEINFELD