VZCZCXRO2333
RR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1150/01 1991619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181619Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4402
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4941
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 4571
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2064
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0429

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001150 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP TMMCRAE AND CMUTAMBA; NAIROBI FOR ECA/FFP NESTES; 
KAMPALA FOR RFFPO DSUTHER 
AFREA AFRGHAI AHANS AMENGHETTI ARALTE 
BSILVERS DCHAAA DCHACMM DCHADG DCHAOFDA DCHAPPM DCHAPPMAMS DCHAPVC 
ECLESCERI GKACHRA JBORNS JESCALONA 
JHASSE JMAJERNIK KHUBER KODONNELL LBARBOUR LWERCHICK LWHITLEY 
MAWILLIAMS NNICHOLSON OAAT PEBALAKRISHNAN PMOHAN PPCDCO PPCMCA PPCP 
RLEE SBRADLEY SECPSP SPARKS THOMPSON 
TLAVELLE TRASH WHENNING 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EFIN ETRD AMGT EFIN CF CG
SUBJECT: USAID/FFP MONITORING MISSION TO EASTERN DRC 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. Summary. James F. Conway, Kinshasa-based Regional Food for Peace 
Officer (RFFPO), Simon Mutala, USAID/Kinshasa, Dan Suther, USAID/EA 
RFFPO, and Alex Deprez, Nairobi-based RFFPO, Visited North Katanga, 
North Kivu, and South Kivu Provinces from June 19-25, 2006 to 
evaluate the food security situation in these regions of DRC and to 
monitor USAID-supported food assistance programs. 
 
¶2. Dan Suther visited the isolated Walikale and Masisi territories 
of North Kivu.  Walikale is cut off by an impassible road to the 
capital and high insecurity, though ongoing repairs to the road may 
provide access by august.  MSF-Holland currently accesses Walikale 
by airlift, and WFP provides food to Masisi transit centers for 
demobilized child soldiers. MONUC estimates the majority of 
remaining FDLR forces are located in North Kivu, as well as Laurent 
Nkunda's remaining forces.  The evaluation Team noted clear evidence 
of FDLR control in the territories visited. WFP'S pipeline for 
assistance to these areas was slashed by 50% last year, impairing 
their ability to carry out programs in the area. 
 
¶3. In Katanga, however, FHI has fully ramped up with a staff of 46 
for its operations extending to Kabalo as well as Kalemie, Kongolo 
and Moba, and the second year food pipeline will be supported by a 
one-year supply via the Dar-es-Salaam to Kigoma route. A ration of 
1535 calories per day is now available per person. A joint meeting 
in Kalemie with WFP, FHI and the FFP mission covered discussion of 
sectoral and geographical cooperation in North Katanga among the 
various actors. Mai Mai demobilizations in North Katanga have 
provided a more peaceful context than in other areas, and some IDPs 
are beginning to return. Rates of chronic and acute malnutrition in 
the area remain above crisis levels, at 38% and 13.4% respectively. 
 
 
¶4.  The current estimated IDP caseload of 800,000, of which 180,000 
were added in 2006, may increase by as much as another 160,000 due 
to the potential for ongoing violence in the Kivus. In Katanga and 
the Kivus, displacement is more likely to result from continuing 
low-level conflict between the numerous and varied armed elements 
occupying the terrain than from disturbance around the elections 
process. Even if the situation stabilizes in the short term, 
however, malnutrition will continue to be an issue of concern in 
eastern DRC, with availability, access and utilization of food the 
cause. Additional resources will be needed for longer-term food 
security programs, but it is premature to shift the programs in 
these areas into development mode until the relief needs of the 
internally displaced, returnees and severely malnourished are met. 
 
--------------- 
North Kivu area 
--------------- 
 
¶5. USAID/EA Regional Food for Peace Officer Dan Suther traveled to 
Walikale and Masisi territories of North Kivu province 20-21 June. 
Walikale remains an especially isolated area, with the main town and 
most of the territory completely inaccessible by road due to poor 
infrastructure and insecurity. WFP has since may begun an emergency 
school feeding program with 14 primary schools in the territory 
along the main Masisi-Walikale axis, up to around 40 km from 
Walikale town where the road becomes impassable. German Agro-Action 
(GAA) has been repairing this Masisi-Walikale road, and there are 
hopes that by August, Walikale town will once again become 
accessible, at which point aid organizations can extend deeper into 
the territory. Besides GAA, World Vision also works along this 
corridor, with MSF-Holland providing support in Walikale town (which 
it accesses by air). WFP also provides food to Masisi transit 
centers for demobilized child soldiers, whose former employers span 
virtually all of the various armed groups in North Kivu. 
 
¶6. Regarding the upcoming elections, there appeared to be relative 
political freedom, as various party flags were flying throughout the 
towns and villages. Most people queried were hopeful and optimistic 
about elections, and were fairly open and vocal about the various 
candidates they supported. It appeared that Joseph Kabila was 
especially popular in the Masisi and Walikale territories, as people 
appeared to believe that he could bring peace and security to the 
area. 
 
KINSHASA 00001150  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶7. WFP's operation in North Kivu was struggling, with its Goma 
pipeline slashed in January from last year's 1,500 mt/month to the 
current 700 mt/month - in order to repay some USD $6.4 million from 
a WFP/Rome BPR advance of USD $19.9 million last year. All recovery 
activities have been suspended, and WFP is currently hard-pressed to 
support even critical emergency activities. WFP's eastern corridor 
pipeline requires urgent assistance to meet emergency needs, as well 
as to implement transitional recovery activities in the area. 
 
------------------ 
North Katanga area 
------------------ 
 
¶8. During an interview, commissar of the district of Tanganyika, J. 
Rigobert Tshimanga Musungayi, displayed appreciation towards FHI's 
work. He is anxious to profit by the peaceful moment to solve the 
electricity (new generator) transport (dredging the port of Kalemie) 
and communications (restoring key connecting roads and rail systems) 
problems of his jurisdiction. Meetings with WFP, OCHA, SNCC and 
other civil authorities gave the mission an overall picture of the 
situation in the North Katanga. 
 
¶9.  FHI has completed its set up by assigning one full time 
expatriate project manager to Kalemie for the North Katanga, renting 
food storerooms, hiring 46 staff for the area, management teams in 
three locations and elaborating its beneficiary lists for North 
Katanga. 
 
¶10. 65% of OCHA-estimated 38,000 IDPs are in Moba where FHI has 
launched its Food For Work (FFW) program. WFP has chosen to leave 
the area to FHI. Over 12,000 FFW beneficiaries in Moba have restored 
55 km of the Moba-Lusaka axis and 230 km of roads cum bridges and 
culverts. 32% of the IDPs are in Kalemie and have also integrated 
into FHI activities of seed recovery, seed fairs and FFW. In 
Kalemie, Kongolo and Kabalo, FHI will do FFW and WFP will 
concentrate on nutritional feeding programs.  In Kalemie, WFP will 
also use its food for training for women, and distribution to aid 
and pandemic disease victims. 
 
¶11. Over one hundred demobilized Mai Mai soldiers in Kalemie from 
Gedeon's forces found the CONADER center closed and inoperative. FHI 
has agreed to integrate them into its FFW program, and their 
families have received some help from WFP vulnerable group feeding. 
 
------------- 
WFP situation 
------------- 
 
¶12. WFP recent pipeline analysis shows that only 47 percent of the 
food needs estimated at the beginning of the year can be met with 
stocks available from June to November in the post election period. 
Shortfalls in maize meal and vegetable oil will mean that from July 
2006, infants under five years old in supplementary and therapeutic 
feeding centers will be shorted.  250,000 school children are at 
risk.  FFP in July 2006 has earmarked 19,000 mt valued CIF at USD 
$14 million for eastern DRC. EU has also earmarked an additional 
4,400 mt in the same way. 
 
¶13.  Recovery operations by WFP in North Kivu have been suspended 
and 19 therapeutic feeding centers have been suspended due to lack 
of funding.  In Kalemie, WFP monthly distributions are down to 500 
mt in south Kivu 1300 mt/month out of an original 3600 estimated are 
able to be distributed, which represents 36 percent of its target. 
Almost no recovery programs were funded. 
 
--------------- 
Recommendations 
--------------- 
 
¶14. FHI should ensure daily updated warehouse stock cards, 
beneficiary recipient signed cards, date of production/expiry on its 
commodities, close relations with local authorities, seed 
distributions timed to the first rainy season, and more senior 
management time in all four locations in the future. 
 
¶15. FHI's logistical supply chain could use better coordination with 
WFP. Evidence of competition existed for use of the limited barges 
available to transport food across the lake from Kigoma, Tanzania to 
 
KINSHASA 00001150  003 OF 003 
 
 
Kalemie, DRC. The same situation prevailed in delivery by truck by 
WFP and FHI to extended delivery points. WFP uses Kigoma as a hub 
and leverages storage for 6,500 mt at the port.  A mutually 
beneficial agreement could be reached between WFP and FHI in these 
three aspects of storage, river transport and land transport, as 
well as cooperation in the Port of Dar-es-Salaam. 
 
¶16. SNCC Kalemie planning engineers have programmed the arrival of 
two cargo trains a month from Kalemie to Kabalo at $.11/km/mt once 
the bridge is completed. The mission judged this to be an optimistic 
scenario. Belgian bilateral aid has given USD $2.5 million and 
restoration work on the bridge is under way. Completion may be 
achieved before the end of the year. The FFP mission traveled by 
train the 98 km from Kalemie to Nyemba (four hours one way) to 
inspect the progress on this bridge. Both FHI and WFP should use 
this new link as soon as it is possible. 
 
¶17. To avoid a pipeline break and give time to include donors on the 
drafting of the new PRRO, the current PRRO was extended for one 
year, valued at USD $61 million and involving 58,000 mt of food.  A 
carry-over of 36,000 mt is available so the total for the year will 
reach 94,000 mt. The FFP should insist that the year be used to draw 
up a quality PRRO for 2007-2009. The donors should be included at 
all levels to insure the quality of the new program. 
 
¶18. MONUC'S contingency post-electoral plan targets 60 geographical 
areas based on experience and a matrix of 13 indicators, which focus 
areas of conflict and violence in the past. The MONUC plan targets 
education, livelihoods, and governance.  FFP, through its partners, 
should give priority to these areas in programming. FFP can support 
the first two directly and the third indirectly within these 60 
areas. 
 
¶19. WFP should be encouraged to cancel certain activities in western 
Congo to assure resources are available to the prioritized 60 areas, 
most of which are in eastern Congo. 
Meece