VZCZCXRO1971
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0424/01 0491124
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181124Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1529
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 000424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, DRL, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AF/EA, DCHA 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
USMISSION UN ROME 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KAWC SU
SUBJECT:   Darfur: Overview of Protection Trends in 2005 
- the NGO Response 
 
REF:  (A) Khartoum 272, (B) Khartoum 308 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  This cable represents the third and final in a series 
to review the issue of protection and the related 
humanitarian response in 2005.  In the Darfur crisis, 
humanitarian protection - defined as efforts to mitigate 
the risks of violence, abuse, harassment, or exploitation 
of vulnerable groups - is one of the most vital 
components of the international response.  The first two 
cables outlined trends in protection issues and the 
general international response; this cable will briefly 
outline the specific contributions and programs of the 
non-governmental organization (NGO) community relating to 
protection in Darfur.  Through their extensive field 
presence, NGOs are carrying out the largest portion of 
protection activities, translating concepts into action 
to help the most vulnerable individuals and groups in 
Darfur.  Protection programs work to meet the basic needs 
of project beneficiaries and simultaneously reduce the 
threat of violence to civilian populations; examples 
include responding to rape, livelihoods interventions 
that mitigate the risk of sexual violence, legal aid, and 
programs that meet the needs of children.  In addition to 
implementing programs, NGOs also serve as the primary 
information source for the humanitarian community about 
conditions on the ground throughout Darfur.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Response to Rape and Sexual Violence 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Rape and other forms of sexual- and gender-based 
violence (SGBV) have been the leading protection issue 
threatening war-affected women and children in Darfur. 
Since 2004, human rights groups, the U.N., and NGOs have 
extensively documented the extent of the violence across 
the region, and USAID responded by funding a significant 
number of activities in 2004 and 2005 to mitigate these 
abuses.  Following a July 2005 visit by U.S. Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice, USAID augmented resources and 
launched the USD 15 million Combating Violence Against 
Women Initiative (VAW).  One of the important activities 
implemented in the initiative is the provision of 
specialized medical treatment for victims of rape and 
other forms of sexual assault, referral for more 
extensive medical needs, counseling, legal assistance, 
women's focus groups, and information dissemination 
networks. 
 
¶3.  The work of the health clinics delivering services to 
victims of GBV has been seriously handicapped by the 
Sudanese law that requires victims to file a "Form 8" 
with police in order to access medical care or pursue 
legal action.  Sudanese government authorities often 
harassed and intimidated international and Sudanese 
humanitarian workers who provided care to victims of 
sexual assault and who had not completed the form. 
Through extensive advocacy (reftel), the Sudanese 
government lifted this requirement in October 2005.  In 
practice, however, local health care providers and police 
are often unaware of the reforms or are unwilling to 
accept the new policy.  In November, the Sudanese 
government certified the International Rescue Committee 
(IRC), USAID's largest partner in Darfur, to complete the 
Form 8 themselves in order to allow rape survivors to 
launch a criminal complaint.  This was an extraordinary 
step taken by the government in recognizing the 
competency of an NGO to complete a document that becomes 
part of the official record of a criminal complaint/case. 
It is also a strong commentary on the success of the 
international community's advocacy on this issue. 
 
¶4.  While the authorization represents progress, much 
more work needs to be done to ensure comprehensive 
application of the new procedures.  NGO staff continue to 
express reservations about offering women the option to 
file a Form 8 for the purpose of pressing charges either 
 
KHARTOUM 00000424  002 OF 004 
 
 
out of fear of harassment or because they worry it will 
place undue pressure on women to report incidents to the 
police.  (Comment:  NGOs should not preclude women from 
making their own decisions by withholding information on 
possible courses of action.  Despite an abysmal 
prosecution record regarding rape in Darfur, there is no 
pressure on authorities to improve their prosecution 
record without rape victims filing cases.  End comment.) 
 
---------- 
Mitigation 
---------- 
 
¶5.  NGO protection programs work not only to respond to 
incidents of violence, but also to prevent them.  Camp- 
based income generation projects such as mat weaving, 
poultry raising, fuel-efficient stove making, and other 
craft and food production reduce the need for women to 
travel outside the security of the camp or community to 
collect firewood or seek employment. 
 
¶6.  Several partners also provide instruction and 
materials to construct fuel-efficient stoves, which are 
designed to require less fuel wood, thereby reducing the 
frequency of wood gathering and the accompanying risk of 
attack.  However, the actual protective qualities of this 
intervention remain in question.  Survey results from one 
partner NGO indicate that its fuel-efficient stove 
program has resulted in a reduction of the amount of time 
spent collecting household fuel, from seven days a week 
to three days.  Other partners, however, have observed 
that women may adopt the use of fuel-efficient stoves, 
but continue to collect fuel wood at the same rate and 
sell the excess for income, thus maintaining the same 
exposure to attack. 
 
¶7.  Another method of mitigating attack on women and 
girls during firewood collection has been the firewood 
patrols organized by NGOs and carried out by the African 
Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) civilian police (CIVPOL) 
and Sudanese government police.  In theory, the idea of 
firewood patrols is very straightforward, but in practice 
the involvement of NGOs is necessary to keep AMIS and 
government police on schedule and to communicate with 
beneficiaries.  In Kalma camp, the firewood patrols 
facilitated by the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) 
have made a dramatic difference in reducing the attacks 
on women collecting firewood.  NRC staff members travel 
to the point of departure three times a week to meet with 
the women's firewood committee and often attempt to 
persuade them to wait for the AMIS and government forces. 
The patrols have been consistently late, according to 
NRC, because the Sudanese government police lack a 
vehicle, officers, or simply fail to show. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Legal Aid and Related Protection Programs 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  With support from the U.N. Development Program 
(UNDP), IRC conducts training in international 
humanitarian law for Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Arab 
militia combatants and provides legal assistance 
to internally displaced persons (IDPs).  NGOs also engage 
in family tracing to unite minors separated from family 
members during displacement and collaborate with the U.N. 
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.N. Population Fund 
(UNFPA) to conduct human rights and sexual- and gender- 
based violence training for Sudanese government police 
and other authorities. 
 
¶9.  Legal aid and legal rights awareness activities have 
become an integral part of the protection response in 
Darfur.  USAID has been a lead supporter of an increase 
in legal aid and legal rights awareness activities during 
the past six months.  Current interventions help to build 
the capacity and coordination of a newly developed Darfur 
Legal Aid Network; cover case fees for conflict-affected 
persons who have been victims of violence and human 
rights abuses; provide equipment and program support to 
legal aid organizations; and support legal rights 
 
KHARTOUM 00000424  003 OF 004 
 
 
awareness workshops and paralegal trainings for IDPs. 
 
----------------- 
Camp Coordination 
----------------- 
 
¶10.  In the beginning of the Darfur crisis, the Sudanese 
government Humanitarian Affairs Commission (HAC) was the 
only camp management entity, and no one organization was 
coordinating humanitarian activities.  To supplement HAC 
management, the donor community began to fund camp 
coordinators to ensure sectoral coverage, rationalize 
service provision, share information about the camp, and 
enhance protection.  Many camps coordinators organize 
regular protection working group meetings that provide 
fora for the development, implementation, management, and 
monitoring of local protection strategies. 
 
¶11.  Camp coordination activities can include training on 
practical protection activities such as monitoring and 
reporting, basic human rights, and the Guiding Principles 
on Internal Displacement.  Protection monitoring is 
important in identifying vulnerable groups and their 
needs, improving understanding of socio-political 
dynamics and trends affecting IDPs, and referring human 
rights and international law violations to the U.N. for 
investigation.  It is often the NGO acting as camp 
coordinator that provides the "big picture" on protection 
issues, communicates this to U.N. agencies, and advocates 
for changes with local authorities.  Some NGOs that only 
implement programs in health or income-generation will 
often not want to put their specific program at risk by 
sharing information.  In this case, the camp coordinator 
can raise issues with authorities, the IDP population, 
and U.N. agencies. 
 
---------------- 
Child Protection 
---------------- 
 
¶12.  With focus placed on responding to women's violence 
and meeting basic humanitarian needs in Darfur, the 
international community allocated fewer resources to 
supporting children's protection activities in 2005. 
Save the Children/U.S. and IRC currently operate child 
safe centers and protection programming for children. 
These programs, however, primarily provide safe havens 
for play, and additional programs are needed such as 
greater psychosocial support, educational opportunities, 
and job skills training.  Despite limited resources, NGOs 
specializing in child protection began work very early in 
the crisis, and children in camps are receiving primary 
education that would be largely unavailable in their 
villages of origin. 
 
-------- 
Presence 
-------- 
 
¶13.  In the beginning of the conflict, the international 
community sought to provide protection first and foremost 
by increasing their physical presence across Darfur. 
This continues to be a strategy employed in the 
protection response because some argue that the presence 
of international actors allows them to witness events and 
deter those who perpetrate violence in Darfur - although 
the magnitude of benefit is often debated.  In 2005, some 
NGO partners expanded operations in previously 
underserved areas such as the Al Deain locality of South 
Darfur, the Kulbus corridor and Wadi Saleh locality of 
West Darfur, and the area surrounding Fata Borno in North 
Darfur.  In 2005, USAID supported 14 NGO partners to 
implement some 400 different projects in 190 IDP 
locations in Darfur.  However, presence remained limited 
in many other areas, particularly those controlled by the 
SLA and other opposition groups.  Where operational, 
humanitarian workers are in a position to be in daily 
contact with affected communities and local government 
authorities, allowing them to directly monitor human 
rights abuses.  NGOs use this knowledge of local dynamics 
to design and administer programs in multiple sectors 
 
KHARTOUM 00000424  004 OF 004 
 
 
that work to meet the needs of communities while 
addressing protection concerns. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶14.  Security remains the overriding threat to programs 
addressing the needs of conflict-affected communities in 
Darfur, including the enhancement of protection.  In 
addition, bureaucratic impediments imposed by the 
Sudanese government appear to be targeting particular 
sectors such as women's health and legal assistance. 
 
¶15.  If large budget reductions remain throughout the 
year ahead, the specific implications for protection 
programming may be more severe than other sectors.  The 
reason for this is that several organizations with a weak 
or modest protection capacity may phase out that aspect 
of operations if forced to reduce costs and prioritize 
responses.  While some NGO staff working primarily in 
other sectors remain cognizant of protection concerns, 
efforts to mainstream protection will suffer if NGOs no 
longer retain staff dedicated to this purpose. 
 
¶16.  Even if the security situation were to stabilize, 
funding limitations may also impact the ability of NGOs 
to maintain substantial operations in rural communities. 
This decreased geographic presence would diminish 
response capacity and reduce access to potentially 
vulnerable populations.  Abuses in such locations may 
increase, as perpetrators feel emboldened by the absence 
of the international community. 
 
HUME