VZCZCXRO7272
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0939/01 1090552
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 190552Z APR 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2402
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 000939 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, 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 
ABUJA PLEASE PASS C. HUME 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KAWC SU
SUBJECT: DARFUR: GEREIDA - AN UNEASY PEACE 
 
Ref: Khartoum 0828 
 
------------------- 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶1.  On April 12, a USAID representative and colleagues 
from the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) 
and U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) 
Emergency Office visited Gereida, South Darfur, to 
determine what additional resources and partners are 
required to assist the Gereida internally displaced 
person (IDP) population of 77,000. (Note:  Some estimates 
place the total IDP population at 90,000.)  A possible 
move of 25,000 people from nearby Joghana in advance of a 
potential militia attack would upset the delicate balance 
currently in place to serve the existing caseload in 
Gereida.  Humanitarian planning focuses on increasing 
capacities in sectors such as water and sanitation and 
health, and addressing the handover of food aid 
management from the ICRC to the WFP.  A Sudanese Armed 
Forces (SAF) attack on Gereida is a possibility, as SAF 
took Donkey Dereisa from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) 
on April 16 and has pledged to open the Nyala-to-Buram 
road that passes through Gereida.  Such an attack would 
most likely result in a humanitarian emergency.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
------------------- 
Gereida Site Layout 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  The multi-donor team and representatives from WFP and 
the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) flew to Gereida via 
U.N. caravan, which landed in an improvised dirt strip 
that ICRC built in 2004, when it first began working in 
the area.  The strip lies amid a sprawling IDP settlement 
of approximately 77,000, a figure based on ICRC food 
distribution numbers, although Oxfam and other non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs) believe the figure to 
be 90,000.  The IDP settlement has no logical layout and 
is divided into sections that represent the waves of 
arrivals at the site.  The site has grown across the 
desert, congested in the center and spread out as one 
proceeds south.  The haphazard layout of the site 
complicates drainage, sanitation, and enumeration of 
shelters.  The oldest part of the "camp," dating from 
2004, now appears well settled, with USAID plastic 
sheeting (donated through the non-food item common 
pipeline and allocated to ICRC for distribution) covering 
hundreds of dwellings.  Newer shelters are more 
rudimentary, built of only sticks, grass, burlap, and 
other flimsy materials.  ICRC plans to distribute plastic 
sheeting in May or June, before the rains.  ICRC and 
incoming NGO Action Contre la Faim (ACF), have discussed 
realigning the camp to address sanitation concerns; 
however, this activity would need to be done immediately 
in order to reach completion before rains begin. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
AMIS - Wanting to Be Helpful, But Limited in Logistics 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶3.  The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) Group Site 
Commander, a Rwandan officer who had arrived in Gereida 
only two weeks prior, gave a thorough briefing about the 
site and shared observations about security for IDPs. 
AMIS has 16 military observers at the site and a company- 
sized protection force.  Since the March 11 
demonstrations against AMIS, who were accused of raping 
IDPs and paying IDPs for sex, AMIS has kept a low 
profile.  The new commander said he is working on re- 
establishing relations with the population and felt he 
was making progress.  Nevertheless, AMIS lacks the 
capacity to undertake patrols to protect the population 
from roving militia outside Gereida.  The civilian police 
(civpol) unit numbers only 5, when it should have a 
complement of 50, so the 16 military observers also have 
to undertake civpol patrol duties.  Despite the 
importance of the area and high tensions among local 
populations, the AMIS team has only one Thuraya satellite 
 
KHARTOUM 00000939  002 OF 004 
 
 
phone and insufficient vehicles for patrolling.  AMIS 
must call in helicopters from either Sector Headquarters 
in Nyala or AMIS Forward Headquarters in El Fasher, 
further complicating operations. 
 
¶4.  The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) is in firm control of 
the area with an undisclosed number of troops and heavy 
weaponry stockpiled in the city.  The SLA remains very 
much in the background and did not come to airstrip to 
see the visitors or send an emissary to find out who the 
visitors were.  The multi-donor team did not observe any 
armed presence during the visit and only saw one military- 
style vehicle.  Interlocutors reported that the SLA sees 
itself very much as the protective force for the 
population, but may also be discouraging the population, 
particularly men, from leaving.  Accessing markets 
further afield is left to women, who risk attack by Arab 
militia.  A visit to the ICRC health center did not yield 
information on whether there are any rape cases.  The 
Nyala-based Sudanese medical worker flatly denied that 
any rape victims had been presented at the center and 
refused to discuss gender-based violence issues. 
 
¶5.  Of greatest concern is the threat from the west of 
Gereida, where large numbers of Arab militia are 
mobilized and reportedly well equipped.  Local umdas 
(leaders) have denied AMIS permission to move by ground 
in that area.  AMIS is particularly concerned about the 
situation in Joghana, located 27 kilometers (km) 
southeast of Gereida, where the humanitarian community 
has not provided any assistance except periodic food 
distributions by the Italian NGO Alisei.  Arab militia 
have reportedly taken over wells at Joghana, denying 
access to the local population.  AMIS expects the Joghana 
population to move preemptively to Gereida, given the 
humanitarian concerns and the high likelihood of a 
militia attack.  AMIS is reaching out to the umdas to try 
to gain access to the western zone to patrol, initiate 
dialogue, reduce tensions, and reduce the likelihood of 
an attack on Joghana.  The last militia attack in the 
area was on March 18, and an uneasy peace reigns. 
 
----------------------- 
Preparing for the Worst 
----------------------- 
 
¶6.  As previously reported, the humanitarian community is 
preoccupied with the water supply in Gereida.  Oxfam runs 
2 boreholes for 20 hours daily, providing approximately 9 
liters of water per person per day to the population. 
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian 
Affairs (OCHA) previously reported water accessibility of 
15 liters per person per day in accordance with SPHERE 
minimum standards, but Oxfam believes this is optimistic. 
There are 13 tap-stand systems throughout the IDP site, 
and all water is provided free of charge.  The water 
corporation manages two other boreholes in the town. 
These sell water for donkey-cart distributions to the 
town population.  Poorer members of the resident 
population access the IDP tap stands to obtain free 
water. 
 
¶7.  The current system is working, but is fragile and 
will be unable to handle any slight increase in demand or 
shift in equilibrium.  Currently, in the dry season, 
boreholes provide water not only for the IDP population 
but also for some animals, creating additional pressure 
that the rains will alleviate partially.  However, should 
there be an influx from Joghana, the current system will 
be unable to provide adequate potable water.  Oxfam and 
UNICEF are planning for such a contingency, including 
drilling new boreholes.  The SLA has granted permission 
for technical teams from the government Office of Water 
and Environmental Sanitation (WES) to move into Gereida. 
As in the past, the SLA insists that expatriate staff 
accompany the government workers in the SLA area of 
control.  It is necessary to drill a minimum of 200 
meters to reach the aquifer, and special rigs must be 
brought from Ed Daein.  In the meantime, Oxfam has 
installed backup generators to maintain the current 20- 
hour pumping capacity. 
 
KHARTOUM 00000939  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Food Aid Transition Fraught with Peril 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  The transition in food aid management in Gereida is 
one of the biggest concerns.  Since 2004, ICRC has 
provided rations to the population using its own 
logistics and food pipeline, consisting mostly of USG 
donations.  ICRC distributes food according to exact 
family size for the older parts of the camp, where 
detailed registration has been possible, and by estimated 
family size (five) for the newer areas, until a 
verification of the population is completed.  At the time 
of the donor visit, ICRC was distributing rations to 
3,000 families, and had grouped the food in stacks of 
rations for a group of 5 families of 5 persons each.  The 
system moved efficiently, with representatives of the 
five families called forward to claim their pile, while 
loaders helped move the rations. 
 
¶9.  As previously reported, in June ICRC plans to 
handover food distributions to WFP.  The key concern is 
the WFP pipeline and pre-positioning before the rainy 
season.  Currently ICRC provides full monthly rations of 
12 kilograms (kg) per person of cereals, 4 kg of lentils, 
2 liters oil, .32 kg of salt and .75 kg of sugar.  Even 
at this rate, ICRC treats approximately 100 children in 
community-based therapeutic feeding and nearly 1,600 in 
supplementary feeding.  An unreleased nutrition survey 
done in January found that the global acute malnutrition 
rate is approximately 14 percent and the severe acute 
malnutrition rate is approximately 2 percent. 
 
¶10.  When the transition to WFP occurs, beneficiaries 
will receive only a half ration and no salt or sugar, due 
to the lack of donor contributions to WFP's pipeline 
(septel).  Additionally, ICRC has been providing ground- 
nut oil per the local population's preference, whereas 
WFP will provide soybean oil.  When the population 
previously received soybean oil, ICRC registered an 
increase in malnutrition, attributed to a decline in 
caloric intake resulting from the sale of the oil.  USAID 
noted that part of the ICRC ration in April was soybean 
oil, so ICRC can re-evaluate this assumption before WFP 
takes over in June. 
 
¶11.  An added challenge is that during the rainy season, 
a wadi (riverbed) will prevent trucks from reaching 
Gereida.  WFP must preposition all rainy season stocks 
-four months worth of half-rations, or two months worth 
of full rations - by June.  Failing that, the population 
of Gereida will find itself in a dire situation and WFP 
may need to air drop rations into Gereida town. 
According to ICRC research, the population is highly 
dependent on food distributions, although the population 
still has animals and is consuming some meat.  ICRC is 
tracking market prices and has noted no alarming trends 
as yet.  Should the food aid situation worsen, animal 
offtake will likely increase beyond the normal levels, 
possibly rendering the population more vulnerable in the 
future. 
 
¶12.  The presence of a large number of animals was 
clearly evident during the visit.  By some estimates 
there are nearly 50,000 head of mixed animals, including 
cattle and donkeys.  As the dry season progresses, signs 
of wasting among the donkey population have become 
evident, and NGOs reported that donkeys are dying in 
larger numbers each week.  NGOs in the area are 
organizing dead donkey clean-ups and are discussing 
collection of animal fodder as well as animal health 
interventions to preserve IDP livelihoods. 
 
¶13.  Sanitation will be a disaster this rainy season in 
the absence of urgent attempts both to erect latrines and 
to encourage people to use them.  Animal waste will make 
the situation more challenging, as donkeys are crowded 
amid IDP shelters.  The NGO American Refugee Committee 
(ARC), which works nearby in Donkey Dereisa, has 
indicated it can reinforce work in sanitation by sending 
 
KHARTOUM 00000939  004 OF 004 
 
 
a team to help dig latrines and conduct hygiene 
education.  The drainage situation is unclear but is 
likely to be a problem. 
 
------------------------- 
Seven Minutes Per Patient 
------------------------- 
 
¶14.  An ICRC primary health clinic (PHC) is the only 
source of health care in Gereida.  The clinic is open 8 
hours per day, 6 days a week, and receives 450 patients 
daily.  The clinic provides a full range of services, 
including immunizations and ante-natal care.  The clinic 
staff comprises seven community health workers (CHW) with 
a nursing background, a medical assistant, a midwife, and 
an expatriate doctor.  The CHWs initially see patients, 
then refer cases to the medical assistant or doctor.  A 
simple math calculation that takes into account breakfast 
and tea breaks reveals that each CHW can spend on average 
only 7 minutes with each patient, if the full caseload is 
to be seen each day.  This rate of patient consultation 
leaves little room for a sudden surge in illness, which 
might occur during the rainy season.  ICRC has rejected 
the notion of erecting health posts on the fringes of the 
camp, saying that the PHC is no more than six to seven km 
trip for any resident, which is fully within standards 
for Africa.  ICRC likely will expand the PHC site and 
services to respond to increased demand during the rainy 
season.  Diarrhea outbreaks and malaria are key concerns 
for the rainy season; already watery diarrhea is the main 
cause of morbidity.  Donors believe there is room for 
another health partner to relieve pressure on the ICRC 
clinic.  The NGO Merlin has made several visits and is in 
discussions with partners and donors.  A government 
hospital handles referrals, with assistance as needed 
from an ICRC medical team that deploys from Nyala if 
there are war-wound cases. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
No Emergency Yet, But Assistance Urgently Needed 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶15.  At present there is not a humanitarian emergency in 
Gereida.  ICRC is monitoring the humanitarian situation 
and feels that it is under control.  ICRC is prepared to 
health and protection assistance in addition to 
maintaining activities in the rural areas, which allows 
them to monitor population dynamics closely.  Donors 
concluded that despite this robust ICRC strategy, there 
is a need for additional NGOs to assist in the area. 
 
STEINFELD