VZCZCXRO5165
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0553/01 1791454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271454Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3095
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 2000
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2095
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2215
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0753
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1492
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1850
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2271
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4702
RUZEHAA/CDR USEUCOM INTEL VAIHINGEN GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1361

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HARARE 000553 
 
AF/S FOR S.HILL 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL 
TREASURY FOR D. PETERS AND T.RAND 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B.PITTMAN 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND E.LOKEN 
DCHA/AA FOR MIKE HESS 
AFR/AA FOR KATE ALMQUIST AND FRANKLIN MOORE 
AFR/SA FOR ELOKEN, LDOBBINS, JKOLE 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, ACONVERY, TDENYSENKO, LTHOMAS 
DCHA/FFP FOR JBORNS, JDWORKEN, LPETERSON, ASINK 
PRETORIA FOR JWESSEL, GJUSTE 
PRM FOR MCKELVEY, MLANGE 
DRL FOR MDAVIS, KGILBRIDE 
 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM PREF PGOV PREL ZI
SUBJECT: ZIM HUMANITARIAN CRISIS GROWS: WITH UN AGENCIES 
IMMOBILIZED, IDPS LOOK TO EMBASSIES 
 
REF A: HARARE 503 
REF B: HARARE 522 
REF C: LUSAKA 684 
REF D: MAPUTO 546 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (U) The humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe continues to worsen. 
Politically motivated violence continues unabated.  Humanitarian 
space continues to shrink.  Access to the most vulnerable 
populations remains restricted.  All this, combined with a high 
level of uncertainty, and exacerbated by the Zimbabwean government's 
(GOZ) decision to suspend humanitarian operations (Reftel A), has 
turned an election into a complex humanitarian emergency.  Over the 
past week, internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to move 
around the country and urban areas in an often futile search for 
assistance and protection.  Coordination efforts by UN and 
international organizations have been inadequate, and the 
humanitarian community is scrambling to address the growing 
problems.  The number of IDPs is expected to increase significantly 
over the coming days as people flee a potential new campaign of 
post-election political violence and repression. END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Desperate IDPs look to embassies for protection 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Over the past four days, in the wake of the Mugabe 
regime's campaign of violence and displacement, including the recent 
ban on most NGO activities and raid on the opposition headquarters 
where some 2,600 IDPs had sought refuge, several hundred IDPs have 
turned up at the front gate of the American Embassy compound seeking 
urgent assistance.  In the absence of a coordinated response by UN 
agencies with IDP mandates (due to both the ban on activities and 
the overtly political connections of this group of IDPs to the 
opposition), emboffs managed to refer several dozen to local NGOs, 
but safe houses and gathering places were limited.  Dozens more IDPs 
are sleeping in the park across the street from the Embassy, waiting 
for some kind of large-scale solution.  Church leaders, many of whom 
are in hiding, do not want to open the churches to IDPs because they 
know they cannot offer any protection.  The Harare YWCA was recently 
raided by ZANU-PF youth militia, and has reluctantly closed down. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  On June 25, the Embassy of South Africa allowed several 
hundred IDPs seeking shelter to enter a parking lot on mission 
grounds after armed riot police arrived on the scene.  Despite 
statements in the press by the South African ambassador on June 26 
that they would not be allowed to stay, on June 27 emboffs noted 
that there are now three tents in the parking lot, portable toilets, 
and cooking stations.  In effect, the South African Embassy's 
parking lot, just two blocks away from USAID, has become an IDP camp 
for about 300 people.  On June 26, a large group of IDPs went to the 
 
HARARE 00000553  002 OF 004 
 
 
German embassy after hearing a rumor that European Union missions, 
and specifically Germany, were willing to receive displaced people. 
According to German diplomats, they refused the IDPs entry to the 
Chancery compound.  After several hours, unarmed neighborhood police 
took away about 30 people in trucks.  Their location is unknown. 
The remaining 23 in the group fled the scene and returned to Harvest 
House. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) These roaming IDPs face increasing harassment from 
official and unofficial GOZ actors.  As their desperation increases, 
Post fears they will become more persistent in seeking shelter from 
embassies.  Small-scale, under-the-radar efforts of civil society 
organizations and churches are attempting informal assistance 
efforts, but are not managing to meet the needs.  Larger NGO efforts 
cannot be effectively mobilized due to the restriction on NGO 
operations and threats from the GOZ security apparatus. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The dramatic increase in IDPs requesting embassy help 
appears to stem, in large part, from the June 23 police raid at the 
MDC's headquarters, Harvest House (Reftel B).  Since the raid, the 
MDC has given supporters bus fare and encouraged them to return 
home.  However, many IDPs, particularly those from high-density 
areas of Harare that continue to be wracked by violence and 
intimidating mobs of ZANU-PF youths (e.g. Epworth, Mbare, and 
Chitungwiza), refuse to return home.  Having been turned away from 
Harvest House, not trusting th5}Gh1H,jy is well known.  His supporters 
hope that embassies will offer them the same refuge. 
 
---------------------------- 
Numbers unknown, but growing 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The UN's Office of Coordination for Humanitarian 
Assistance (OCHA) estimates there more than 33,000 IDPs in the 
country.  However, this does not include many people recently 
fleeing into urban areas.  It is difficult to accurately estimate 
the number of IDPs, given the void of existing information in the 
wake of the governmental ban on NGO activity.  OCHA has not 
collected sufficient information on numbers or needs.  Further 
complications arise when attempting to define IDP populations in 
this fluid context, and in calculating their numbers consistently. 
For example, some organizations are calculating the numbers of IDPs 
they assisted (with blankets, food, etc), but some of those people 
have since found temporary shelter with relatives or friends.  OCHA 
has not found a way to distinguish "new" IDPs from those who were 
formerly "assisted" and are still on the rolls. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) With the help of its partner NGOs, USAID is channeling 
food and non-food items, (such as soap, sanitary cotton wool, 
blankets, etc.) through the Catholic Development Commission (CADEC) 
and their informal coalition of partner churches. These non-food 
 
HARARE 00000553  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
items have been pre-positioned at the district and parish level for 
distribution to IDPs to prevent them from having to move large 
distances in search of supplies and shelter.  A few supplementary 
feeding programs are still operating on a smaller scale, and minor 
water and sanitation efforts continue in some districts.  Most USAID 
partner responses have been very small-scale and unofficial as a 
result of the recent ban on NGO activity.  This makes information 
gathering extremely difficult in the absence of trustworthy partner 
information collection. 
 
---------------------------------- 
NGOs operating well below capacity 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) The majority of NGOs in Zimbabwe are operating with skeleton 
staff and have pulled all assets in from their field offices, making 
a nationwide response to IDP issues challenging.  Additionally, 
existing relief efforts are coming under increasing scrutiny from 
security officials, and many church operations have ceased as a 
result. Individuals providing help put themselves at risk of arrest 
or worse.  One Mission FSN was stopped this week for a couple hours 
when police saw that his truck was full of clothing.  He was forced 
to produce receipts showing he had permission to transport the goods 
and was only released after RSO intervention.  Emboff's main contact 
at Harvest House who was helping IDPs went into hiding early on June 
27 after his home was visited by ZANU-PF youths threatening him. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
International Organizations slow to respond 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Coordination mechanisms among NGOs, International 
Organizations (IOs) and donors have been insufficient to respond to 
the growing humanitarian crisis. Although UNHCR is the sectoral lead 
for IDPs in Zimbabwe, the UN remains constrained by its own need to 
consult with the GOZ.  Little tangible action has been taken to 
operationalize its leading role.  OCHA is a weak actor (septel) and 
has not effectively addressed growing coordination concerns among 
donors.  No consolidated contingency plan exists to address current 
and potential IDP needs in a cohesive manner.  The Mobile and 
Vulnerable Population Working Group, currently chaired by IOM, has 
provided the most meaningful efforts at humanitarian coordination to 
date, and many USG partners are members of this group. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Zimbabwe urgently needs a cohesive solution to deal with 
the thousands of displaced people that have nowhere to go.  Embassy 
protection cannot be a solution to this humanitarian crisis.  Given 
the absence of comprehensive, meaningful humanitarian coordination 
and shrinking humanitarian working space, most threatened and 
displaced Zimbabweans currently are unable to receive necessary 
 
HARARE 00000553  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
assistance in the form of the provision of food, shelter, and 
necessary supplies. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: The humanitarian community is 
struggling to address the growing displaced population and the 
escalating violence which may trigger even more significant 
population movements.  UN and international efforts to address the 
growing problem of displacement and violence in Zimbabwe have been 
woefully inadequate.  Post continues to monitor the situation and 
address needs as possible.  A task force is being put into place at 
USAID to establish and support structures in what we believe may 
very well be a protracted situation.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCGEE