VZCZCXRO8945
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1080/01 1920830
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110830Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7838
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001080 
 
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 
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 UN SU
SUBJECT:  DARFUR - NEW IDPS OVERWHELM AL SALAM CAMP 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00001080  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Begin summary:  Since early May, an influx of newly displaced 
persons arriving in Al Salam camp near Nyala, South Darfur, has 
created a localized humanitarian emergency.  New arrivals are often 
in poor health, and relief agencies are providing much-needed 
humanitarian aid.  USAID field staff report that water and 
sanitation, camp security, and overall case management are ongoing 
concerns for Al Salam camp, which has already exceeded maximum 
capacity.  End summary. 
 
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NEW ARRIVALS 
------------ 
 
¶2.  The population of Al Salam internally displaced person (IDP) 
camp has more than doubled from an estimated 14,500 in early May, to 
nearly 35,000 as of July 4, approximately 5,000 people above maximum 
capacity.  The majority of new arrivals report fleeing fighting in 
Tulus, Buram, and Rehed el Birdi localities in southwestern South 
Darfur beginning in early 2007.  Many IDPs initially stopped at 
towns in Ed el Fursan locality, seeking temporary work en route to 
Nyala.  USAID field staff also received reports that local 
government officials discouraged many IDPs who stopped in the 
intermediary towns of Antikayna and Katayla from traveling onward to 
Nyala.  This accounts for the lapse between the time IDPs left their 
homes and arrived in Al Salam.  IDPs continued to arrive by truck to 
Al Salam camp as recently as July 4. 
 
¶3.  The new arrivals, many of whom are in poor health and are 
experiencing malnutrition, have created a significant demand for 
expanded relief services in the camp.  As Al Salam is the only 
Nyala-area camp able to receive additional IDPs, relief 
organizations, including several USAID-partners, have responded 
rapidly to hire additional staff, expand existing programs, and meet 
the needs of the growing camp population. 
 
¶4.  Malnutrition, acute jaundice syndrome, and an unusually high 
incidence of the parasitic disease bilharzia among new arrivals 
indicate an urgent need for clean water and sanitation facilities, 
hygiene promotion, health services, and therapeutic feeding 
programs.  Most new arrivals require shelter, food, and general 
household commodities.  Camp officials are also concerned about 
maintaining security within the camp.  A mob of IDPs recently 
assaulted an individual reportedly recognized as an Arab militia 
member who attacked their villages. 
 
¶5.  The southern portion of Al Salam camp is in a low-lying area 
that is prone to flooding during the rainy season.  Plans to 
relocate approximately 10,000 IDPs to a new extension area on the 
north side of the camp have been pending completion of a new water 
distribution system.  To date, approximately 2,500 IDPs and many new 
arrivals have relocated to the new extension area.  CHF 
International and Humedica are organizing the relocation process. 
 
---------------- 
RESPONSE EFFORTS 
---------------- 
 
¶6.  As camp coordinator, the non-governmental organization (NGO) 
Humedica has mobilized quickly and effectively to distribute 
non-food items to the new arrivals, and will provide a non-food item 
replenishment to old IDPs in mid-July.  Humedica also coordinated 
with CHF International to provide shelter materials for incoming 
households.  World Vision has registered most new arrivals and on 
July 3 began the monthly distribution of food rations to more than 
30,000 IDPs who had registered as of June 30.  The remaining 5,000 
new arrivals are receiving 15-day emergency food rations until they 
can be registered for general food distributions. 
 
¶7.  In response to critical health needs, Humedica is constructing a 
cholera treatment center, and both Humedica and International 
Medical Corps (IMC) are hiring health staff and obtaining additional 
equipment and drugs.  From July 1 to 6, the South Darfur Ministry of 
Health coordinated an expanded immunization campaign, which included 
vaccinations against eight diseases.  Following an unusually large 
number of reported bilharzia cases, IMC and the State Ministry of 
Health launched a week-long screening effort on July 2.  More than 
50 percent of screened individuals tested positive for bilharzia. 
Humanitarian agencies are providing medication that will help 
prevent additional camp residents from acquiring the disease.  In 
response to a steady rise in acute jaundice syndrome (89 cases the 
week of June 23-29, compared to 44 cases the previous week) and 
 
KHARTOUM 00001080  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
water contamination in 60 percent of households sampled, the South 
Darfur Office of Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) plans to 
flush the existing water system with chlorine. 
 
¶8.  Water is a priority need for new arrivals, and WES is in the 
process of completing a new water distribution system for the camp's 
extension area by July 15.  WES has drilled five boreholes to 
increase the water supply; all have low water yields, prompting 
concerns about the ability to meet the increased water demand at the 
camp. A team of technical experts is surveying the area for other 
drilling locations.  In the interim, CARE tankered 50 cubic meters 
of water per day to the camp in June and increased this amount to 
100 cubic meters per day to meet the needs of the growing 
population. 
 
¶9.  To improve sanitation, CARE has constructed eight trench 
latrines in the new extension area for temporary use, and is 
constructing 300 new household latrines.  In addition, the NGO has 
cleaned 930 household latrines in other areas of the camp.  CARE 
also plans to construct shower cubicles and secure places for women 
to do laundry after the latrines are completed.  Additionally, NGOs 
are implementing hygiene promotion campaigns.  CARE has trained 18 
hygiene promoters with a focus on household-level hygiene and 
water-container cleaning, and on June 28 conducted a camp cleanup 
campaign with more than 5,000 participants.  IMC is recruiting 
community health workers to provide hygiene education during in-home 
screenings. 
 
¶10.  A nutrition survey conducted by Action Contre la Faim (ACF) in 
May indicated a global acute malnutrition rate of 23.3 percent and a 
severe acute malnutrition rate of 2.8 percent, both above emergency 
thresholds.  In response, ACF has expanded outpatient therapeutic 
feeding services to two days per week and has opened a supplementary 
feeding center that also operates two days per week.  ACF is 
distributing cereals and vegetable seeds to new arrivals, reaching 
4,110 households as of July 4. 
 
¶11.  Humedica is running two schools with a total of 60 classes, and 
is discussing with NGOs potentially opening another school with 
between 30 and 40 additional classrooms.  Humedica has identified 
the need for child and youth-friendly spaces and has requested that 
an NGO fill that need.  Following the suspension of Humedica's 
school feeding program in April due to blocked food supplies, World 
Vision has asked the U.N. Food Program to provide food for newly 
arriving children and pregnant or lactating mothers. 
 
¶12.  In response to security concerns, Humedica, the Government of 
National Unity's (GNU) Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), and local 
police conducted a meeting with sheikhs and the camp community.  The 
sheikhs agreed to contribute to maintaining security in the camp by 
reporting all security-related concerns to the police. The African 
Union is working with the sheikhs on the establishment of a 
community policing program. 
 
---------------- 
ONGOING CONCERNS 
---------------- 
 
¶13.  In Al Salam camp, USAID field staff note ongoing concerns 
regarding adequate water and sanitation facilities in the new 
extension area; camp capacity; and camp security.  Althougj WES has 
pldgEd to complete(the~ew watr !nd w!nitatyon(facLi4iec$if t`eQ~??wQ~~