VZCZCXYZ0029
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKH #0304/01 0391457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081457Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1339
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0433
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0073
RUEHAE/AMEMBASSY ASMARA 0041
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0076
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0032
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0043
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0014
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0012
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0026
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0036

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000304 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG AND DRL 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID/WASHINGTON 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AF/EA 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY 
COMMERCE FOR BUREAU OF THE CENSUS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON PGOV SU
SUBJECT:  SUDAN CENSUS:  GOOD PROGRESS 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary:  In a meeting on February 6, 2006, the 
deputy director of the Sudan UNFPA office provided an 
update of the progress on the national census.  The 
census is mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 
(CPA) and will be the first full, participatory census in 
Sudan since 1956.  Plans are for enumeration to be 
carried out November 2007, with results derived by 
January 2008.  This is based on the assumption that 
access to Darfur and mined areas of the south will be 
feasible.  Completion of census on this schedule will 
allow elections within the timeframe laid out in the CPA. 
The assistance being provided by U.S. Bureau of the 
Census team was highly praised by UNFPA.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------------- 
Census a Prelude to Elections 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Poloff met with Hassan Mohtashami, Deputy 
Director of the Sudan UNFPA office, on February 6. UNFPA 
has the responsibility for coordination of the national 
census, which is mandated under the Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement (CPA).  The census results will be used in the 
preparations for the national elections to be held by 
¶2009.  Mohtashami noted that under the terms of the CPA, 
the census was to be completed by July 2007 (two years 
after the establishment of the Government of National 
Unity). However, the UN had suggested that the actual 
enumeration be scheduled for November 2007 for technical 
reasons, including timing to coincide with the dry 
season, and all parties agreed to this change. 
 
¶3. (U) Mohtashami said the census is budgeted to cost $74 
million, of which $34 million is to come from the Multi- 
Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).  Progress is being made on 
finalizing the MDTF contribution in the next few weeks. 
The remainder, approximately 55 per cent of the total, is 
to be provided by the Sudanese government.  Mohtashami 
expressed some concern that the Sudanese government has, 
thus far, only allocated $4 million of the $11.5 million 
required for 2006. 
 
---------------- 
Good Cooperation 
---------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Mohtashami described the various levels of 
coordination that the UNFPA has engaged in for the 
census.  The international coordination of donors has 
gone well, with the U.S., France, and Norway all 
providing significant contributions.  However, the deputy 
director has been especially pleased with the North/South 
coordination and cooperation that has evolved in the last 
few months.  In the north of Sudan, the Central Bureau of 
Statistics (CBS) will conduct the census, while in the 
south, the South Sudan Center for Census Statistics and 
Evaluation is the responsible agency.  Mohtashami claimed 
that the relationship that has been established between 
these two offices is the best example of successful 
North/South cooperation between government agencies to 
date. 
 
-------------------------- 
Access a Potential Problem 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Potential problems exist with access to Darfur and 
the mined areas in the south.  However, Mohtashami was 
confident that solutions could be found.  As one possible 
scenario, he speculated that, even if the Darfur region 
is still unstable in November 2007, if all parties would 
agree to a two-week ceasefire, the enumeration could be 
 
carried out.  The mined areas in the south are relatively 
small, and, the deputy director noted, even if small 
areas of the country are missed, the census would still 
be accepted as valid. 
 
¶6. (U) A pilot project is planned in November 2006 in 
order to allow testing of equipment and training of 
personnel.  According to Mohtashima, the intention is to 
use a Norwegian scanning system to input data from the 
collection forms into the computer system.  He is 
confident that the scanning system can work in Sudan 
despite the dust and environmental challenges.  An 
advantage of scanning is that it provides a better 
quality of data collection over keyboard entry.  A major 
advantage is that scanning will allow the results of the 
census to be produced in about two months, by January 
¶2008.  The plan is to produce a single, final census 
result, rather than preliminary results followed months 
later by a final result. 
 
¶7. (U) Mohtashima said that his preference is not to 
collect information on tribal identity or religion as 
part of the census.  He believes the census should be 
kept as simple as possible and that including questions 
of religion and ethnic group could complicate or delay 
the process.  He cited the experience of countries such 
as Lebanon and Nigeria, where such questions had halted 
census work.  As an alternative, surveys on religion and 
tribe could be conducted separately from the census. 
 
¶8. (U) The work of the U.S. Bureau of Census team that is 
assisting in Sudan came in for high praise from 
Mohtashima.  He expressed appreciation for the quality of 
the work produced and the cooperative relationships that 
have been developed. 
 
HUME