VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKH #0359/01 0711009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111009Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0166
INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 3377

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000359 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ELNT PGOV PREL SU
SUBJECT: USAID AND GOSS OPEN NEW ROADS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES CRITICIZE 
GOSS 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  On Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7 USAID, 
Consulate General Juba, and the Government of Southern Sudan 
commemorated the groundbreaking of two new road projects to help 
rebuild infrastructure in Southern Sudan.  The combined projects 
will cost in excess of $100 million and will connect major cities 
and trading centers in the south.  Local authorities in Western 
Equatoria State criticized the GoSS for not responding to their 
desires on the routing of their new road. End Summary. 
 
SISP Project Gets Underway 
-------------------------- 
¶2.  The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and the United States 
Agency for International Development (USAID) have jointly identified 
the heavily traveled road between Juba and Nimule as the first 
priority for investment under USAID's Sudan Infrastructure Services 
Project (SISP).  SISP aims to build and rehabilitate critical 
infrastructure that will restore basic services, build markets and 
consolidate peace.  The Nimule road is the most direct route between 
Juba and the important trade hubs of Nairobi, Kampala and Mombasa. 
Improving the road will significantly benefit the markets and 
economy of Southern Sudan. 
 
¶3.  The planned development of the 192-kilometer road starts with 
demining, emergency repairs to severely deteriorated and failing 
bridges, and re-grading and maintenance of the existing roadbed.  A 
topographical and geophysical survey, replacement of seven bridges 
and design and construction of a new paved road will follow.  USAID 
already has obligated over $26 million of the estimated $70 million 
required for roadway repair and reconstruction.  It is anticipated 
that additional funds will be provided in order to support the rapid 
development of the project. Construction will require 16 to 20 
months to complete once the design-build contractor is mobilized. 
 
GoSS Touts Peace Dividend 
------------------------- 
¶4.  The March 6 inauguration of this project was overseen by 
President of the Southern Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, who 
participated despite a heavy schedule that required him to leave 
directly after the ceremony for Khartoum.  Consul General 
Christopher Datta was a keynote speaker.  He was told by members of 
Kiir's delegation that the President was making this a major media 
event in order to demonstrate the peace dividend the CPA is bringing 
to Southern Sudan.  Southern television and radio gave the event 
extensive coverage, including broadcast of large portions of CG 
Datta's speech touting U.S. cooperation with the GoSS and support 
for the CPA. 
 
Yambio-Tambura Road Project Kickoff 
----------------------------------- 
¶5.  The next day saw a similar ground breaking ceremony for the 
Yambio-Tambura road, part of a corridor that will eventually connect 
Juba to Wau via Yambio. This project also aims to build and 
rehabilitate critical infrastructure that will help to restore basic 
services, build markets, and consolidate peace.  The Yambio-Tambura 
road runs parallel to two international borders - Central African 
Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo - through the state of 
Western Equatoria, often considered the "bread basket" of Southern 
Sudan.  The road reconstruction will increase food security, and 
accelerate trade and economic growth. 
 
¶6.  The planned development of the 185 kilometer road includes 
de-mining, rehabilitation of four bridges, and construction of 
six-meter-wide, all-weather gravel road at a cost of about $28 
million.  Construction of the Yambio-Tambura road supports the USG's 
overall objective to improve access to infrastructure, support the 
safe return and reintegration of internally displaced people and 
refugees, generate employment, and develop local capacity. 
 
Local Officials Voice Discontent 
-------------------------------- 
¶7.  This second event was officiated by the Minister of Roads and 
Transportation and the Minister of Housing, Lands and Public 
Utilities.  The Acting Governor of Western Equatoria State 
represented local authorities.  Although the community pulled out 
all the stops to commemorate the event with music and the slaughter 
of a bull, there was a great deal of local unhappiness concerning 
the route the new road would take, and the Acting Governor made the 
community's feelings publicly known in his speech, heavily 
criticizing the central government for not listening or responding 
to the needs of his constituency.  Instead of being an event to show 
how the GoSS is helping and providing for local communities, as 
intended, it rather had the opposite effect of opening the 
government to criticism for not being sensitive to local interests. 
The local population expressed dismay that there is no plan for 
construction of feeder roads that would open markets in CAR and 
Congo to local farmers. 
 
¶8.  Congen Datta and GoSS officials made the point in return that 
this project was just a beginning and was meant to create a central 
 
road infrastructure that would allow for the subsequent construction 
of feeder roads.  This did not seem to mollify the Acting Governor, 
however.  In subsequent talks USAID promised to consider addition 
work on the project that would build some basic feeder roads to the 
desired locations. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶9.  The central government officials were clearly taken aback by the 
criticism they received in what they expected to be a love fest over 
the building of the new road.  It is indicative of the need for the 
GoSS to work much harder to plug into the needs of local communities 
and to better communicate GoSS plans for the South. This gap and 
mistrust will have obviously implications for the 2009 elections if 
the SPLM doesn't tend to its constituents.  The design of the road 
is probably correct, but the GoSS Ministers should have been aware 
of local opposition to the plan and have been better prepared to 
deal with local concerns.  Southern unity depends on local 
perceptions that the GoSS listens to them.  President Kiir seems to 
recognize this, and in a speech March 10 at the 5th Annual Southern 
Sudan Governors Conference he said, "Frankly speaking, what we are 
seeing and experiencing is a huge GoSS structure far away from the 
people.  This requires us to critically rethink the way we have been 
operating as a level of government within a decentralized system. 
This may further require us to rethink matters not only in terms of 
power and intergovernmental linkages but also in terms of allocation 
of resources to the other levels of government." 
 
 
FERNANDEZ