VZCZCXRO9476
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0951/01 1101257
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201257Z APR 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2432
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000951 
 
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 FOOD ASSISTANCE UPDATE 
 
Ref: Khartoum 0939 
 
KHARTOUM 00000951  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
------------------- 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶1.  From April 11 to 13, 2006, a USAID team visited 
Nyala, Gereida, and El Fasher to evaluate food assistance 
programming in South and North Darfur.  Ref A provides 
details on the humanitarian situation in Gereida, 
including updated information on food assistance 
activities. 
 
¶2.   Inadequate international response to the U.N. World 
Food Program's (WFP) Emergency Operation (EMOP) for Sudan 
has resulted in a critical food pipeline shortfall that 
will soon impact all food assistance programming in 
Sudan.  WFP/Sudan has 130,000 metric tons (MT) of food 
commodities remaining in its pipeline for Darfur and 
plans to distribute just 25,000 MT of food per month in 
the region through August 2006, a 50 percent reduction 
from previous levels.  The reduced ration will yield only 
1050 kilocalories (Kcal) per beneficiary per day.  WFP's 
proposed ration cuts will significantly constrain the 
agency's food assistance activities during the annual 
hunger season.  With no food held in reserve, additional 
pipeline shortfalls may force WFP to further reduce 
distributions in order to respond to additional 
displacements, escalating emergency conditions, or 
increased malnutrition rates in other localities.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
WFP - Insufficient Funding Constrains Food Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3.   As of April 11, 2006, the WFP EMOP for Sudan has 
received USD 214 million, representing only 29 percent of 
WFP's total funding requirements.  The USG contribution 
of USD 188 million represents 25.3 percent of the EMOP 
request. 
 
¶4.   The slow donor response to WFP's EMOP has delayed 
WFP efforts to pre-position food stocks prior to the 
onset of seasonal rains in June.  As a result, WFP plans 
to halve rations of cereals, pulses, sugar, and salt to 
beneficiaries living in both internally displaced person 
(IDP) camps and rural areas throughout Sudan.  Even with 
halving of the rations, WFP's food pipeline will be 
completely exhausted in September, absent new commitments 
from donors. 
 
¶5.   As of April 2006, WFP has 70,000 MT of food 
commodities in Darfur, including 40,000 MT of pre- 
positioned food stocks.  However, no additional food 
commodities are expected to arrive in Darfur before the 
start of the upcoming rainy season.  WFP is in the 
process of adjusting its food distribution plan to use 
existing stocks to support the maximum number of 
beneficiaries possible at the reduced ration level. 
 
¶6.  In response to the critical funding shortfall, 
WFP/Khartoum consulted with field offices and 
implementing partners to formulate five options for 
adjusting food distributions throughout Sudan.  Proposed 
options varied in the percent reduction of current 
rations by food commodity and the method by which ration 
cuts would be applied to camp and non-camp populations. 
At a meeting convened in Khartoum on April 18, WFP 
proposed an across-the-board ration cut under which IDPs 
and rural villagers would receive cereals, oil, and CSB 
at 50 percent of the current ration and pulses, sugar, 
and salt at 25 percent.  WFP also plans to eliminate 
ongoing food-for-education, food-for-work/assets, and 
food-for-training programs.  However, WFP will maintain 
supplementary feeding rations and set aside sufficient 
food stocks to accommodate the increasing demand on 
nutritional safety nets that may follow the 
implementation of widespread ration reductions. 
 
¶7.  The rationale given for an across-the-board ration 
 
KHARTOUM 00000951  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
cut was not based on a nutritional or livelihoods 
analysis of Darfur communities.  WFP did not want to 
implement cuts that could be interpreted by communities 
as favoring one ethnic group over another, or that might 
attract additional populations into IDP camps. 
Additionally, WFP determined that an across-the-board 
ration reduction would be easier to implement than a plan 
which varied rations for different areas and populations. 
The non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing 
partners attending the meeting accepted this logic, but 
expressed concern that less tonnage moving through the 
pipeline would reduce NGO access to land-side transport, 
storage, and handling funds needed to support their 
logistics and personnel infrastructure. WFP noted that 
declines in donor funding for non-food programs that 
share costs with food programs have forced NGOs to rely 
on WFP for up to 80 percent of the overhead expenses 
needed to administer food distribution programs in the 
field. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Food Situation in North and South Darfur 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  In March, WFP implementing partners distributed 
14,000 MT of food in South Darfur.  April food 
distributions will likely total 17,000 MT.  Food 
distributions will be reduced to 10,000 MT beginning in 
May.  In North Darfur, the March distribution of 12,000 
MT will be reduced to 9,000 MT beginning in May. 
 
¶9.  WFP's revised food pipeline for Darfur totals 130,000 
MT of food commodities through August 2006, 80 percent of 
which are cereals (Note:  According to WFP, cereals 
constitute 70 percent of a normal food pipeline.  End 
Note.)  WFP has allocated 25,000 MT of food commodities 
per month for Darfur for the next four months: 10,000 MT 
for South Darfur, 6,000 MT for West Darfur, and 9,000 MT 
for North Darfur.  A decrease in the planned monthly food 
assistance from approximately 50,000 MT at the peak food 
distribution level in August and September 2005 to the 
anticipated level of 25,000 MT necessitates a 50 percent 
reduction in ration sizes and a corresponding reduction 
in caloric value from approximately 2,100 Kcal to 1,050 
Kcal.  The food pipeline shortfall in Darfur will also 
restrict WPF's ability to provide food assistance to 
rural populations and drought-affected groups not served 
through existing distribution programs. 
 
STEINFELD