VZCZCXRO3313
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1608/01 1901402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091402Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3593
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
USMISSION UN ROME 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR JBRAUSE, NSC/AFRICA FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU
SUBJECT:  Sudan - Humanitarian Programs in Mundri County 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  From June 20 to 23, USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster 
Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Disaster Operations Specialist Jennifer 
Mayer visited humanitarian programs in Mundri County, Western 
Equatoria State, Southern Sudan.  In September 2005, conflict over 
grazing rights between Dinka and Moru groups erupted in Mundri 
County.  Heavy fighting in the area lasted for several months, 
displacing thousands of people.  Communities are beginning to 
recover, but the conflict and low levels of rainfall last season 
have resulted in diminished food stocks and a more acute hunger gap 
than in years past.  According to the Sudan Relief and 
Rehabilitation Commission (SRRC), more than 6,200 internally 
displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees have returned to Mundri County 
since January 2006.  The potential for ethnic conflict and continued 
volatility, however, remains the main factor threatening post-war 
recovery in Western Equatoria, as evidenced by the outbreak of 
fighting in Mvolo County.  USAID/OFDA is funding four partners in 
Mundri County in support of food security, income generation, 
health, infrastructure improvements and capacity building for local 
organizations.  End Summary. 
 
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Background 
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¶2.  From June 20 to 23, USAID/OFDA's Jennifer Mayer visited 
USAID/OFDA-funded humanitarian programs in Mundri County, Western 
Equatoria State, Southern Sudan.  In fiscal year 2006, USAID/OFDA is 
funding four partners in Mundri County in support of food security, 
income generation, health, infrastructure improvements and capacity 
building for local organizations. 
 
¶3.  In 1992, the first major South-South conflict occurred in Bor 
County, driving the majority of Bor Dinka to Equatoria.  Since that 
time Mundri County has hosted tens of thousands of Dinka cattle 
herders and hundreds of thousands of Dinka-owned cattle.  Relations 
between the local Moru communities and the well-armed Dinka cattle 
herders have always been tense.  In September 2005, conflict erupted 
between the Dinka and Moru over grazing rights in Mundri County.  As 
Dinka herdsmen moved through the region en route to Bor County, 
their livestock damaged Moru crops and tensions between the two 
ethnic groups ignited.  Heavy fighting in the area lasted several 
months, displacing farm communities and destroying local cropland, 
villages, and homesteads. 
 
¶4.  In addition to the conflict, low rainfall levels last season 
have resulted in crop losses and diminished food stocks at the start 
of the planting season.  Communities are facing a more acute hunger 
gap than in years past.  Few commodities are available in local 
markets around Mundri County, and prices are very high.  Many 
families depend on gathering wild foods for sustenance, a 
labor-intensive activity that leaves little time for cultivation. 
In response, USAID/OFDA partner Norwegian People's Aid has 
distributed food aid in five locations around the county.  Local 
authorities report that overall cultivation activities are reduced, 
which may affect the harvest this year. 
 
¶5.  The SRRC secretary in Lui reports that more than 6,200 IDPs and 
refugees have returned to Mundri County since January 2006.  IDPs 
are returning from Khartoum, Yambio, Maridi, and Yei, and refugees 
are returning from Uganda and the Central African Republic.  Most 
returnees are staying with relatives and reintegrating smoothly into 
communities, and the onset of the rainy season and the hunger period 
has slowed returns to the county.  Very few land disputes have 
arisen since the Dinka have moved out of Mundri, and the security 
situation has calmed. 
 
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Samaritan's Purse Supports Lui Hospital 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6.  USAID/OFDA partner Samaritan's Purse has operated Lui Hospital 
in cooperation with the Episcopal Church of Sudan since September 
¶1997.  With the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the 
presence of this well-supplied and fully staffed hospital has been 
the principal reason for IDP and refugee returns to the area as well 
as for the economic revitalization of Mundri County.  Thousands of 
people have returned over the past two years, and schools, markets, 
and businesses have reopened.  Lui Hospital serves a population of 
 
KHARTOUM 00001608  002 OF 002 
 
 
approximately 300,000 people living within a 120-mile radius of Lui 
Town.  People who live closer to another regional hospital, for 
instance in Yei or Koteiba, often travel to Lui due to the 
hospital's reputation for high standards of care and reliable 
supplies of pharmaceuticals. 
 
¶7.  Lui Hospital has expanded in the past 18 months to include a 
nursing school.  Twenty students from all over Southern Sudan are 
currently enrolled, and the school has graduated 45 nurses to date. 
Training consists of three levels, ranging from basic nursing 
procedures to the equivalent of a Registered Nurse certification. 
The nursing school improves the standard of care not only at Lui 
Hospital but also at clinics and hospitals across Southern Sudan, 
building capacity of the health sector and facilitating a transition 
from relief to development. 
 
¶8.  Lui Hospital treats on average 450 patients per month, over half 
of whom are children.  The hospital's pediatric ward has 32 beds and 
is regularly occupied beyond capacity.  The most common ailments 
affecting children are malaria, gastroenteritis, and respiratory 
infections.  Lui Hospital also has a well-equipped surgical ward 
staffed by a trained surgeon.  During the fighting in late 2005, the 
hospital was the only facility in the area with a trained surgeon 
and adequate equipment and drugs to treat the wounded.  The hospital 
administrator reports that the Government of Southern Sudan's (GOSS) 
Ministry of Health has no plans to assume management responsibility 
for Lui Hospital in the foreseeable future. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
CHF International Supports Food Security, Infrastructure, and Income 
Generation 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶9.  USAID/OFDA partner CHF International implements a variety of 
programs in Mundri County aimed at improving food security and 
providing income-generation opportunities for local households.  The 
Lui Women's Bakery Project bakes bread for sale to community 
residents.  CHF's beekeeping initiative aims to increase local honey 
production and farmer incomes.  CHF also assists the Mundri Youth 
Development Association to sponsor agricultural activities, sports 
clubs, and small enterprises for young men and women throughout the 
county. 
 
¶10.  CHF's sub-partner, MEDIC, supports a local women's collective 
producing lulu nut (shea nut) oil for use in making lotion, cooking 
oil, and soap.  The collective has been quite successful, with 
members selling between 40 to 60 liters of oil per day to 
international non-governmental organizations, local markets 
(including Juba), and even external markets (Nairobi and the United 
States).  The program provides marketable skills and a regular 
income to 45 women participants in the collective. 
 
¶11.  CHF also supports construction of local county headquarter 
buildings in Mundri and Koteiba.  The Mundri County Headquarters 
Office was completed in March 2006 and houses the county 
commissioner and administrative offices.  The county commissioner 
reports that even with the construction of new offices, significant 
infrastructure needs remain, including feeder roads, repair of 
secondary schools, and offices for payam authorities.  The 
commissioner reports the state governor approved a budget for these 
activities, but funds have not yet been made available. 
 
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Comment 
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¶12.  The main factor threatening post-war recovery in this 
agricultural region of Western Equatoria State is the potential for 
renewed ethnic conflict.  While security conditions are improving in 
Mundri now that the Dinka and their cattle have returned to Bor 
County, open conflict continues, with dozens of recent killings 
reported, in nearby Mvolo County.  The GOSS is not yet able to 
maintain law and order.  A humanitarian focus on essential services 
may be needed for another year in Western Equatoria State, before 
long-term funding mechanisms are in place, the GOSS is established 
and functioning well, and recovery of local economies allows people 
to meet needs on their own.  End comment. 
 
HUME