VZCZCXRO5822
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0765/01 1351521
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151521Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIRITY 7214
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000765 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
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
SUBJECT: DARFUR - NGOS REQUEST USAID/OFDA ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND UN 
OPERATIONS 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000765  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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(U) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
(OCHA), the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), and the UN 
Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) provide crucial services to the 
non-governmental organization (NGO) community and enable the 
humanitarian response in Darfur.  During the visit of the Director 
of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) 
to Darfur, NGOs identified several areas where USAID/OFDA assistance 
could assist in expanding individual UN agency programs.  USAID/OFDA 
plans to review the NGO's requests and encourage other donors to 
contribute to these critical UN programs.  End Summary. 
 
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WANTED: EXPANSION OF OCHA PRESENCE 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶1. (U) In an April 22 meeting with the Khartoum-based NGO Steering 
Committee, NGOs stated that as long as OCHA does not have a presence 
in areas outside of the Darfur state capitals it will not be able to 
sufficiently serve as a buffer between the Sudanese government and 
the NGOs.  Currently, OCHA has offices in El Fasher, El Geneina, and 
Nyala but does not have staff based in areas outside the state 
capitals.  According to NGOs, this limited presence diminishes 
OCHA's ability to coordinate the humanitarian response.  In the 
meeting, NGOs agreed that a weekly or biweekly rotation of OCHA 
staff to areas outside the state capitals would be sufficient to 
establish relations with local authorities, monitor conditions 
affecting relief organizations, and coordinate interagency 
assessment trips to rural areas.  The USAID/OFDA Director requested 
that the NGO Steering Committee submit their list of priority sites 
for regular OCHA visits to the USAID/OFDA staff in Khartoum who 
would then discuss the list with OCHA. 
 
¶2. (U) The USAID/OFDA Director also met with OCHA representatives in 
all three Darfur state capitals.  In North and West Darfur states, 
OCHA emphasized the difficulty in establishing remote offices due to 
UN safety and security requirements for offices and compounds.  In 
South Darfur, OCHA stated that plans to open offices in Kass, 
Gereida, and Ed Daein were postponed after the security incidents in 
Gereida and ongoing insecurity in other areas of South Darfur.  OCHA 
had planned to set up an office with one expatriate staff, one 
national staff, and two vehicles in these locations.  According to 
OCHA/Khartoum, a major constraint to expanding OCHA presence is 
staffing.  OCHA/Khartoum told the USAID/OFDA Director that in its 
four offices, one-third of all staff are seconded from other 
agencies.  OCHA has 25 international seconded staff and 40 core 
staff and national staff dedicated to Darfur operations. 
OCHA/Khartoum also indicated that their funding for 2007, with an 
estimated USD 9 million budget, is still uncertain.  In Fiscal Year 
2006, USAID/OFDA provided USD 3 million towards OCHA's USD 6 million 
total budget for Darfur. 
 
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UNHAS: DONOR SUPPORT NEEDED TO UNCLOG BOTTLENECK ROUTES 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶3. (U) As humanitarian space continues to shrink, humanitarian 
agencies are dependent on air transport, particularly helicopter 
routes from state capitals to internally displaced person (IDP) 
settlements in remote areas.  The USAID/OFDA Director met with NGOs 
in Darfur to assess the effectiveness of UNHAS services, which 
USAID/OFDA funds.  NGOs in all three states noted that the current 
helicopter routes were insufficient to adequately staff and supply 
offices in remote areas in addition to accessing new areas of need. 
USAID/OFDA staff note that revising the current UNHAS helicopter and 
fixed wing aircraft schedule may be enough to improve access to the 
areas NGOs need to visit regularly, but would still not allow NGOs 
to reach areas in Jebel Marra during the hot season that require a 
particular type of helicopter to assure safe lift-off.  The 
USAID/OFDA Director requested that NGOs compile a list of bottleneck 
routes that could be supported with additional helicopter resources 
or a revised UNHAS schedule that accommodates the identified needs. 
 
¶4. (U) The USAID/OFDA Director notes that while investing in air 
transport is expensive, it is crucial to maintaining operations in 
Darfur, particularly in underserved areas outside of the state 
capitals.  Maintaining humanitarian services in remote areas will 
prevent IDPs from migrating into the already crowded urban centers 
in Darfur, and avert additional stress on the town infrastructure, 
 
KHARTOUM 00000765  002.4 OF 002 
 
 
water tables, and natural resources. 
 
--------------------------------- 
UNDSS: NGO SECURITY LIASON NEEDED 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) UNDSS provides biweekly security briefings, security 
assessments and analysis, and crisis management to the NGO 
community.  However, NGOs report that the briefings vary in quality, 
lack analysis, and provide unclear instructions for field 
operations.  In addition, NGOs cited the need to establish personal 
relationships with the UNDSS officers in order to ensure that they 
have a reliable channel of communication.  To address these ongoing 
problems, the NGOs requested that UNDSS deploy a security officer 
dedicated to liaising with NGOs.  USAID/OFDA understands that UNDSS 
has already hired a staff person to serve as the NGO liaison. 
 
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USAID/OFDA NEXT STEPS 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The UN continues to play a critical role in humanitarian 
operations in Darfur.  Without the services being provided by OCHA, 
UNDSS, and UNHAS the humanitarian operation in Darfur would 
essentially come to a halt.  USAID/OFDA stands ready to assist the 
UN to continue operations that enable the NGOs to implement 
life-saving programs and expand operations to meet the growing 
humanitarian needs in Darfur. 
 
¶7. (U) USAID/OFDA will review NGO requests for priority sites to 
establish an OCHA presence and will discuss this list with OCHA in 
the coming weeks.  USAID/OFDA will also review the NGO list of 
bottleneck routes for UNHAS and discuss options with UNHAS to expand 
operations or adjust flight schedules.  USAID/OFDA plans to review 
funding for UNDSS and work with the agency to facilitate the 
deployment of an NGO security liaison. 
 
POWERS