VZCZCXRO0882
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1229/01 2271326
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141326Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1602
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0093
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0279
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0099
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC 0262

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001229 
 
AIDAC 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, PRM, AF SE WILLIAMSON 
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND BPITTMAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SP, USAID/W DCHA SUDAN 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NEW YORK FOR FSHANKS 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
USMISSION UN ROME FOR RNEWBERG 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI UN SU
SUBJECT: KASSALA STATE- HUMANITARIAN COORDINATION AND CONCERNS 
 
KHARTOUM 00001229  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Between August 3 and 5, USAID staff visited Kassala 
State in eastern Sudan.  During the trip, the USAID team delivered 
mosquito nets requested by a local teaching hospital, and met with 
local implementing partners and UN agencies to discuss aspects of 
the humanitarian situation in the state.  The team examined issues 
including flood preparedness, food security, and overall 
humanitarian conditions, and discussed future options and 
contingency plans with humanitarian workers in Kassala.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
USAID DONATES BED NETS TO KASSALA TEACHING HOSPITAL 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (U) On August 3, USAID delivered 200 mosquito nets to Kassala 
Teaching Hospital.  The hospital administration, including the 
hospital's managing director, medical director, registrar, and 
senior surgeon accepted the donation and thanked the U.S. delegation 
for supporting the hospital's staff and its patients.  The Kassala 
Teaching Hospital was built in 1907 and serves the rural population 
throughout Kassala State.  During his visit to Kassala State in May, 
U.S. Charg d'Affaires Alberto M. Fernandez visited the teaching 
hospital.  The hospital administration asked for U.S. assistance to 
procure bed nets for inpatients. The Charg requested USAID 
assistance with procuring and delivering the mosquito nets to the 
hospital. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to hospital officials, the century-old facility 
suffers from problems that impact the hospital's ability to provide 
adequate health services. The most pressing issues include a poor 
drainage system, poor electricity network and supply, and the need 
to rehabilitate the surgery theater and children's ward. According 
to the hospital's managing director, although the hospital serves 
the rural population of Kassala State, the humanitarian assistance 
funding that is provided to the rural population does not include 
the hospital. The Kassala State Ministry of Health spends 
approximately 90,000 USD on the hospital's monthly operation. 
 
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FLOOD PREPAREDNESS 
------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) The UNMIS Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) organized a 
meeting for the sector lead agencies of the flood preparedness 
taskforce to update USAID on flood response plans. The RCO, UN 
Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Mine Action Organization (UNMAO), UN 
World Food Program (WFP), UN Mission in Sudan Disarmament, 
Demobilization, and Reintegration Unit (UNMIS DDR), and Humanitarian 
Aid Commission (HAC) attended the meeting.  Currently, the group has 
established a flood preparedness task force and conducted several 
meetings with government counterparts, revised the contingency plan, 
and is building capacity to assist up to 15,000 households during 
potential floods. To date, the committee has pre-positioned 
materials and earmarked resources for flood response, although 
members reported a gap between supplies that are required and those 
readily available. In addition, the UN Joint Logistics Center 
(UNJLC) has provided training for NGO staff on non-food items (NFI) 
distribution including assessment, monitoring, and reporting in 
order to enhance capacities and create a state of readiness on the 
human resource side. 
 
¶5. (U) Flood committee members argued that the situation in Kassala 
State should continue to be treated as an emergency despite the fact 
that Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) has been signed and is 
currently holding. According to the members, additional emergency 
issues including frequent floods, possible drought, frequent 
outbreak of diseases, high rates of malnutrition and mortality for 
 
KHARTOUM 00001229  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
children under five years of age, poor access to basic services, and 
the presence of vulnerable groups are cause for maintaining this 
emergency status. Flood committee members appealed to donors to 
consider such indicators when making assessments and decisions. 
 
--------------------------------- 
FOOD SECURITY CONCERNS IN KASSALA 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that 
the Kassala State Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Ministry of 
Animal Resource and Fishery (MoARF) organized a meeting with FAO and 
other NGOs in agriculture and livelihood sector and established a 
drought preparedness taskforce. According to MoA field reports, the 
delayed rainy season, increased cereal and animal feed prices, high 
rates of animal mortality, and sharp decline of livestock prices in 
the local markets are all worrisome indicators of increasing food 
insecurity. MoA officials warned that Kassala is heading towards a 
drought if the rainy season and rainfall pattern continue to be slow 
and absent for two more weeks, the remainder of the typical planting 
season. (NOTE: Since the visit and meeting, updated field reports 
have indicated that rain has started to fall in Kassala. END NOTE). 
 
 
¶7. (U) According to FAO, the price of a 50 kg bag of sorghum has 
increased from 30 SDG during summer 2007 to 118 SDG in summer 2008. 
Sorghum is the main staple in Kassala State and 30 percent of the 
quantities sold go for animal feed. Since July 2008, field reports 
indicate that locally produced animal feed prices have nearly 
tripled. 
 
¶8. (U) Recently, MoA released a report indicating that Kassala uses 
approximately 21,000 MT of cereal for monthly human and animal 
consumption, and the state is currently experiencing a monthly gap 
of at least 4,900 MT. MoA recommends that government authorities 
release stocks from the grain reserve to fill the current gap, 
offering the grain at a lower price to be affordable to poor 
households.  MoA also urges state officials to ban sorghum exports 
to neighboring countries. (NOTE: Kassala State has a total of 4 
million feddan of cultivable land which is mostly rain-fed; the 
irrigated land in the state is estimated to be 10 percent.  END 
NOTE). 
 
¶9. (U) According to a report released by the MoARF, local 
authorities reported an alarming increase in livestock mortality 
during July. MoARF officials reported up to 27,000 animals died 
during June and July, mostly small ruminants (sheep and goats). 
Kassala State has approximately 4 million livestock heads and 55 
percent of the population is pastoralist. As noted above, animal 
feed prices have increased: a bundle of sorghum straw increased from 
0.25 to 1 SDG for dry sorghum and from 0.50 to 3 SDG for green 
sorghum. The price of 50 kg of locally produced animal feed also 
increased from 20 to 46 SDG. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
ADDITIONAL HUMANITARIAN ISSUES IN KASSALA 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) As of December 2007, UNMIS DDR had completed the disarmament 
and demobilization of 1,700 ex-combatants in Kassala.  The UN 
Development Program (UNDP) has commenced the re-integration phase 
with counseling for ex-combatants and plans to be fully operational 
within two months. In addition, UNICEF is helping 300 ex-child 
soldiers become re-integrated. Depending on resource availability, 
UNMIS DDR is also considering assisting 700 additional ex-combatants 
from the Eastern Front and 1,200 SAF soldiers. 
 
¶11. (U) During August, FAO plans to conduct an agriculture and 
livestock assessment in Kassala State, targeting areas affected by 
flooding in previous years and areas occupied by vulnerable groups. 
The assessment will be part of a national assessment project for 
 
KHARTOUM 00001229  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
northern Sudan and non-Darfur that is expected to inform FAO's 
revised food security strategy and national appeal. 
 
¶12. (U) UNMAO reported that operations to clear Kassala roads for 
development purposes have not yet commenced. UNMAO is still 
operating under an emergency phase and facing a severe funding 
shortage. During the last week of July, rural Kassala experienced 
two incidents involving unexploded ordnance. According to the March 
2008 mine impact survey, Kassala has 27.3 million square 
mine-infested meters. 
 
¶13. (U) In Kassala State, WFP continues to provide emergency 
programming, including a year-old school feeding program that 
targets one section of Hamesh Koreb.  In addition, WFP plans to 
partner with Samaritan's Purse (SP) to support a tuberculosis 
program in Hamesh Koreb, as well as to partner with German 
Agro-Action (GAA) for a Food for Work (FFW) program to support dam 
construction in the area. Partnering with the Sudanese Red Crescent 
Society, WFP and GAA are also planning supplementary feeding 
programs for children under five years of age, as well as pregnant 
and lactating mothers. 
 
¶14. (U) SP opened an office in Kassala in September 2007 to reach 
and assist populations in Hamesh Koreb.  To date, SP supports food 
assistance, health, agriculture activities, and water, sanitation, 
and hygiene programs. According to SP staff, the 32 communities most 
affected by the conflict are now divided between Hamesh Koreb (14) 
and nearby Telkouk (18). Currently, SP is working on access 
procedures to be able to extend assistance to Telkouk locality, and 
the organization plans to use 175,000 USD from the Common 
Humanitarian Fund in addition to its own funding to assist the 
Telkouk population. 
 
¶15. (U) German Agro-Action (GAA) has been located in Hamesh Koreb 
since 2007 and began implementing programs in March 2008. According 
to GAA staff, access in the area open, and authorities respond 
positively to GAA requests for access to the enclaves. To date, GAA 
has constructed 20 dams in Hamesh Koreb area for flood protection 
and water harvesting and plans to construct 15 additional dams in 
Hamesh Koreb, as well as 30 dams in both Telkouk and Kassala 
localities. GAA works with a private contractor in order to 
implement construction. 
 
¶16. (U) GAA works with FAO to assist 2,000 farmers in Hamesh Koreb 
with seeds and tools and train 24 agriculture extension workers with 
training of trainers courses. GAA also plans to engage with WFP to 
establish 800 gabions to prevent soil erosion and support the dams 
throughout Hamesh Koreb locality. GAA has received approximately 1 
million EUROs from the European Commission to support GAA work in 
the food security, agriculture, and forestry for the next three 
years. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶17. (U) USAID will continue to closely monitor Kassala State and Red 
Sea State for potential floods, droughts, and increased food 
insecurity and resulting humanitarian consequences.  Barring 
unfavorable conditions or serious floods in both states, USAID will 
conduct a follow-up visit to both areas to assess the situation and 
respond appropriately to humanitarian conditions. 
 
FERNANDEZ