VZCZCXRO6219
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1853/01 3310647
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270647Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9306
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001853 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF A/S FRAZIER, AF/SPG, S/E NATSIOS, PRM, AND ALSO PASS 
USAID/W 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR FORE, BFEINSTEIN, AA/AFR KALMQUIST, DCHA 
SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/SFO, USAID/REDSO 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND BPITTMAN 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI UN SU
SUBJECT:  DARFUR - ADMINISTRATOR FORE SITE VISIT TO EL FASHER 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00001853  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) On November 22, the USAID Administrator and Director of 
Foreign Assistance Henrietta H. Fore, Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. 
Fernandez, Assistant Administrator for USAID's Africa Bureau 
(AA/AFR) Kate Almquist, and the Mission Director for USAID/Sudan 
traveled to El Fasher, North Darfur, to review the current 
humanitarian situation.  The delegation met with Deputy Governor for 
North Darfur State, representatives from UN agencies and 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Deputy Joint Special 
Representative (JSR) for the United Nations-African Union Mission in 
Darfur (UNAMID) Henry Anyidoho.  The delegation also visited two 
USAID-funded humanitarian projects in As Salaam internally displaced 
person (IDP) camp and the UN World Food Program (WFP) food aid 
warehousing complex.  Administrator Fore emphasized USG commitment 
to supporting the humanitarian response in Darfur and working to 
find lasting solutions to end the four-year conflict.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In a November 22 meeting, Administrator Fore told the Deputy 
Governor that she had come to El Fasher at the request of the 
President whose concern is peace in Darfur.  The Administrator 
expressed that USAID's primary purpose in Darfur is to provide 
humanitarian assistance.  The Administrator stressed the importance 
of IDPs being allowed to choose when and where to return to their 
areas of origin.  In addition, the Administrator said that the USG 
is interested in UNAMID's success and is closely monitoring that the 
deployment is handled well.  The AA/AFR stated that Sudan is USAID's 
largest program in Africa and that USAID is here to support the 
humanitarian needs in Darfur, but also to work on reconstruction and 
development.  AA/AFR Almquist said that it was possible for USAID to 
have a large development program in Southern Sudan and the Three 
Areas because of peace.  The AA/AFR stated that USAID looks forward 
to the day when fighting stops in Darfur and people can return home. 
 The Administrator and CDA raised the USG's concern over indications 
that the Sudanese government is preparing to forcibly disarm IDPs in 
Kalma camp, South Darfur.  The CDA urged government officials at the 
regional and national levels to show restraint and not undertake any 
operations that would result in more civilian death. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Concerns of the Humanitarian Agencies 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to the UN Department of Safety and Security, four 
factors are increasing insecurity throughout Darfur: fragmentation 
of armed opposition groups; Arab militias fighting against Sudanese 
Armed Forces (SAF); interethnic tensions; and the potential rise of 
terrorist activity, specifically the threat of an Al-Qa'ida inspired 
attack on UNAMID in West Darfur.  In Darfur, fighting and insecurity 
continues to dictate where and when relief agencies can provide 
assistance.  According to the aid agencies, the increased insecurity 
and banditry are major impediments to helping vulnerable 
populations.  The fragmentation of the armed opposition groups has 
increased difficulties in negotiating access to areas.  These 
factors are limiting humanitarian presence in rural areas, resulting 
in a heavy dependence on helicopter transport, and diminishing the 
ability of organizations to monitor assistance programs. 
 
¶4. (U) The relief agencies briefed Administrator Fore on the current 
challenges facing the humanitarian operation in Darfur.  The UN 
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 
representative reported that there are 40,000 new IDPs in North 
Darfur this year, yet requests to the Sudanese government for 
additional land to establish a new IDP camp in El Fasher were 
"flatly rejected."  The humanitarian agencies continue to negotiate 
with the authorities to expand Zam Zam IDP camp, located south of El 
Fasher town.  Both Abu Shouk and As Salaam camps have reached 
maximum capacity and are now closed to new arrivals.  The group also 
expressed that it was difficult to find organizations willing to act 
as camp coordinators due to the pressure and harassment that camp 
coordinators receive from the Sudanese government.  (Note:  USAID 
continues to press the Office of the UN High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR) to quickly assume responsibility for camp 
coordination throughout Darfur.  Since early 2007, the Sudanese 
government has impeded UNHCR's plans to expand operations from West 
to North and South Darfur. End Note.) 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00001853  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶5. (U) The humanitarian agencies also reported that North Darfur 
State authorities have recently begun to push for returns, 
particularly after Government of National Unity President Bashir's 
public statements encouraging returns.  The organizations reiterated 
that IDPs are not permanently returning home and that only seasonal 
migration has been observed by the aid agencies.  OCHA stated that 
the clear trend is additional displacement, not returns. 
 
¶6. (U) The relief organizations told Administrator Fore that the 
situation has improved somewhat since the signing of the Joint 
Communique on the facilitation of humanitarian activities in Darfur, 
but that bureaucratic impediments continue to delay service 
delivery.  The International Rescue Committee reported that even 
when staff members have all the proper paperwork in order, the local 
Sudanese government still restricts staff movement on an individual 
basis.  The humanitarian agencies reiterated the need to extend the 
moratorium on restrictions of NGO operations in Darfur, which is set 
to expire at the end of January, in order to avoid delays in renewal 
of visas and permits. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Site Visit to As Salaam IDP Camp and WFP Warehouse 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (U) Administrator Fore and delegation visited two USAID projects 
at As Salaam IDP camp, where 49,000 IDPs reside.  Administrator Fore 
visited a USAID-funded health clinic that serves approximately 130 
patients per day.  Services available in the primary health care 
facility include maternal health, immunization and vaccinations, 
provision of medicine, and out-patient treatment.  The health 
facility is open 24 hours a day and has two doctors and four medical 
assistants on staff. 
 
¶8. (U) The second project visited in As Salaam IDP camp was a women 
and youth center.  In addition to providing emergency relief 
services, USAID programs in As Salaam camp assist IDPs in developing 
livelihood skills, which they will be able to take with them when 
the time is right for IDPs to return home.  At the women's center, 
IDP women learn transferable skills such as sewing, baking, and 
weaving, among others.  At the youth center, CHF staff engage the 
youth in education and vocational training to provide them with 
constructive daytime activities. 
 
¶9. (U) Administrator Fore visited the WFP complex that is the 
primary facility for storing the food aid that is distributed 
throughout North Darfur by NGO partners.  At maximum capacity, the 
complex can store 29,000 metric tons of food, equivalent to 2.5 to 3 
months of North Darfur's food requirements.  Sudan is WFP's largest 
operation in the world, primarily due to the size of the Darfur 
operation, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the food aid 
distributed countrywide.  Through the Title II program, USAID 
provides sorghum, pulses, vegetable oil, and until recently, 
corn-soya blend (CSB) as the main components of the general food 
ration distributed in Darfur. 
 
------ 
UNAMID 
------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) In a meeting at UNAMID, the Deputy JSR General Anyidoho 
welcomed Administrator Fore and her delegation to the recently 
inaugurated UNAMID El Fasher Headquarters.  The Deputy JSR for 
UNAMID sought to assure Administrator Fore that despite technical 
obstacles and high expectations, his office was doing all it could 
to ensure that UNAMID had something to show for itself by the 
December 31 Transfer of Authority (TOA).  Administrator Fore 
encouraged the Deputy JSR to push ahead with strengthening capacity 
and building the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain 
UNAMID. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Anyidoho assured Administrator Fore that "we are doing the 
best we can" to front-load UNAMID deployment by December 31 TOA, but 
that outstanding obstacles were impeding real progress.  UNMIS Head 
of Office flagged bureaucratic delays with importing equipment - 
particularly vehicles and VSATs - at the El Fasher Airport as 
problematic.  Anyidoho stressed that JSR Rodolphe Adada was 
personally engaged on these issues (NOTE: Adada arrived in El Fasher 
for the day on November 22 but then promptly returned to Khartoum, 
as his El Fasher residence is not yet complete.  END NOTE.), as well 
 
KHARTOUM 00001853  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
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