VZCZCXRO4999
PP RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2788/01 3380712
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040712Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5481
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002788 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
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 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU AU
SUBJECT: SUDAN - NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IN KASSALA STATE 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00002788  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) From November 5 to 9, the UN led a Joint Assessment Mission 
(JAM) to examine the food and non-food aid needs of Ethiopian and 
Eritrean refugees in Kassala State, eastern Sudan.  For the first 
time, the JAM was carried out in conjunction with the UN World Food 
Program (WFP)-led Annual Needs Assessment (ANA), which is conducted 
throughout Sudan to assess internally displaced persons (IDP) and 
vulnerable populations' food security requirements.  By utilizing 
the ANA-designed questionnaire in refugee camps, WFP and the Office 
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) aim to improve the 
quality and accuracy of information collected on the needs of 
refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable populations.  From November 1 
to 18, the ANA and JAM teams visited IDP and refugee camps as well 
as crop production areas throughout Kassala State.  A USAID staff 
member participating in the JAM reported that one of the biggest 
challenges is transitioning relief activities to recovery, 
rehabilitation, and sustainable development programs for refugees. 
Detailed findings from the ANA and JAM are expected to be reported 
in the coming weeks. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Government of Eritrea's decision in early November to 
cancel permits for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing 
assistance to northeast Sudan - the area formerly controlled by the 
Eastern Front opposition group - cross-border from Eritrea has 
increased concerns about humanitarian access and the ability of 
assistance programs to continue.  However, on November 20, USAID 
partner International Rescue Committee (IRC) received authorization 
from the Wali (governor) of Kassala State to begin operations in 
Hamashkorieb locality, auguring an easing of restrictions for 
humanitarian organizations seeking access to the area from within 
Sudan.  End summary. 
 
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JAM in Kassala State 
---------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The JAM for the refugee camps in Kassala - jointly carried 
out by WFP, UNHCR, and the Government of National Unity's (GNU) 
Commission for Refugees (COR) - was last conducted in December 2004, 
when agencies agreed that the next one should take place in May 
¶2006.  However, the assessment mission was postponed to November 
2006 to obtain post-harvest information and synchronize the timing 
with WFP's ANA process.  The USAID/Sudan food security and 
agriculture specialist participated in the JAM from November 7 to 9. 
 The JAM's objectives include:  analyze the food security situation 
and determine food and non-food aid requirements for 2007; assess 
the health and nutrition status of children, pregnant and lactating 
mothers, and the sick and elderly; review the performance, 
achievements, and constraints of food aid programs and basic 
services provided; and identify opportunities available and 
constraints for refugees to enhance levels of self-reliance.  The 
mission included visits to refugee camps and local markets, 
interviews of refugees, and meetings with camp management staff and 
GNU officials. 
 
¶4. (U) UNHCR estimates that the 12 camps in Kassala, Gedarif, 
Sinnar, and Gezira states have a total population of approximately 
95,000 refugees, some of whom have been in Sudan for more than 30 
years.  The refugees live in three different types of camps: 
 
A) Reception camps, where refugees first arrive and their status is 
determined before being moved to other camps; 
 
B) Wage-based camps are located primarily in agricultural areas 
where refugees are expected to obtain employment as laborers in the 
rain-fed mechanized agricultural schemes; and 
 
C) Land-based camps, where refugees have been allocated between 5 
and 10 feddans of agricultural land for cultivation (1 feddan is 
equivalent to 1.03 acres).  The main crop grown is sorghum, which is 
the staple food crop of the host communities.  During good years, 
some sesame is grown as a cash crop. 
 
¶5. (U) UNHCR and COR manage and run all the camps in the four 
states, providing basic services, including health, water and 
sanitation, education, and protection.  WFP distributes food 
assistance to 85,000 refugees under Emergency Operation (EMOP) 
 
KHARTOUM 00002788  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶10503. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The USAID/Sudan food security and agriculture specialist 
noted that one of the biggest challenges is transitioning relief 
activities to recovery, rehabilitation, and sustainable development 
programs for refugees.  Most of the refugees have received food 
assistance for many years - some for more than 30 years - resulting 
in dependency on external humanitarian assistance.  The wage- and 
land-based camps were established as a means of supporting refugees 
in reaching self-reliance.  However, these programs need to be 
strengthened to allow refugee households to meet their food and 
income needs.  In addition, the USAID/Sudan food security and 
agriculture specialist recommends that WFP discontinue general food 
distributions and focus on targeted activities, such as 
food-for-work, food-for-recovery, and school feeding.  Special 
attention should be given to vulnerable populations, including the 
elderly and chronically ill, households living with HIV/AIDS, and 
orphan-headed households. 
 
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UNHCR 2007 Plan 
--------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) During a meeting with JAM participants, UNHCR highlighted 
the main points of the UNHCR 2007 Plan for refugees in eastern 
Sudan.  The plan includes the following:  a) advocate for legal 
reform to allow refugees and asylum seekers to have proper 
documentation; b) advocate for regularization of refugees' status, 
rights to movements, and residence, particularly for those living in 
urban settings; c) enhance refugees access to self reliance; d) 
resettle refugees to a third country for those who qualify; and e) 
repatriate refugees, especially given the recent opening of the 
Sudanese-Eritrean border and the normalization of relations between 
both countries.  (Comment:  JAM participants criticized the plan's 
focus on resettlement to a third country and repatriation to Eritrea 
instead of the option to integrate refugees into the communities 
where some have lived for more than 30 years.  In the last several 
years, the number of repatriated and resettled refugees has not 
exceeded 10 percent of the caseload.  Given this small percentage, 
UNHCR should consider and engage the GNU, refugees, and local 
authorities in discussions on the potential for options for 
integration of some of the 90 percent of refugees who are not 
repatriated or resettled.  End comment.) 
 
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Access to Hamashkorieb 
---------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) On November 8, the USAID food security and agriculture 
specialist and the WFP coordinator for Center, East, and Three Areas 
(CETA) met with the HAC commissioner for Kassala State to discuss 
concerns about humanitarian access to Hamashkorieb.  (Note:  In 
early November, the Eritrean Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare 
notified USAID partners providing assistance in eastern Sudan that 
the NGOs' travel, resident, and work permits in Eritrea would expire 
by mid-month.  The decision effectively halts the organizations' 
cross-border programs, which provide food assistance to populations 
in the area of northeast Sudan formerly controlled by the Eastern 
Front opposition group.  Eritrean authorities justified this action 
by noting that the signing of the Eritrean-brokered Eastern Sudan 
Peace Agreement (ESPA) between the Eastern Front and the GNU meant 
that cross-border operations from Eritrea were no longer necessary. 
However, the GNU has not yet permitted humanitarian agencies to 
access the area from within Sudan.  End note.)  In response to USAID 
and WFP questions about the GNU's plans to ease restrictions on 
access to Hamashkorieb, the HAC commissioner indicated that the 
policy of the Kassala State Government is to work through 
"concerned" entities to resolve access problems throughout the 
state.  The commissioner called for more donor and UN assistance to 
eastern Sudan in support of the ESPA. 
 
¶9. (U) On November 20, USAID partner IRC received written 
authorization from the Wali's office in Kassala allowing the NGO to 
move to Hamashkorieb and provide assistance in the area.  IRC plans 
to begin activities in the near future. 
 
HUME