VZCZCXRO9296
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2521/01 3041637
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301637Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7490
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002521 
 
AIDAC 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/RSA AND A/S FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID ECON SOCI SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - CARE Suspends Programs, May Close 
 
REF: A) Nairobi 1421 
B) Nairobi 2429 
C) Nairobi 1737 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  From October 21-22, the UN Special 
Representative to the Secretary General for Somalia (SRSG) chaired a 
meeting in Stockholm to prepare for an international conference on 
reconstruction and development.  Priority was given to supporting 
the Djibouti process with flexible funding mechanisms applicable to 
the Somali context.  However it has become increasingly difficult 
for organizations to operate in the country.  The most recent victim 
of increased insecurity was the international NGO CARE, which 
implements several significant USG-funded humanitarian activities. 
On October 3, al-Shabaab ordered CARE to cease its operations in 
Somalia. Although contingency planning is underway by CARE and other 
partners, CARE's closure would result in over one million vulnerable 
people not receiving urgently needed food aid, and would put 
additional strain on the remaining humanitarian organizations in 
Somalia.  End Summary. 
 
Planning for Reconstruction 
and Development 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) From October 21-22 the UN SRSG for Somalia convened an 
international donors meeting in Stockholm to plan for reconstruction 
and development in Somalia, as called for in Article 11 of the 
Djibouti Agreement (ref A). The donors emphasized the importance of 
developing flexible and short term planning models based on the 
current state of affairs in Somalia.  The meeting highlighted the 
need for a coordinated effort to build confidence on the ground in 
support of the Djibouti Agreement and called for reallocating 
existing funds, where necessary, to achieve this.  However, while 
programs to help the TFG provide services are paramount, 
implementing partners continue to be adversely affected by growing 
insecurity, lawlessness, and the targeting of humanitarian officials 
(refs B and C). 
 
CARE Program Suspended, 
Considering Closure 
----------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On October 3, CARE International received a threat from an 
al-Shabaab spokesman to immediately leave South Central Somalia.  At 
present, all of CARE's activities in the area are suspended, while 
it attempts to have the threat rescinded by encouraging elders, 
religious leaders, and influential businessmen to pressure 
al-Shabaab to reconsider its decision. Should that effort fail, CARE 
is seriously considering closing its offices and "pulling out" of 
South Central Somalia entirely. Closure would have immediate and 
long term impacts on the provision of food aid, humanitarian 
assistance, and longer-term development programming. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) CARE has been assisting Somalis since 1981 and is 
currently USAID's largest implementing NGO partner in Somalia.  It 
is also one of two main USAID partners providing emergency food aid, 
and it is implementing a large OFDA-funded umbrella activity 
providing non-food emergency assistance to the most critically 
vulnerable, as well. In addition, CARE implements a civil society 
and media strengthening program and a livelihood support program in 
Gedo and Lower Juba regions, as well as managing a large portfolio 
of activities funded by other donors.  Somalia is CARE's largest 
program globally.  CARE is currently operating on an internal 
timetable on closure and we expect its decision in the next few 
days.  Should CARE close its program in South Central Somalia, its 
programming in Puntland and Somaliland would continue. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In addition to the suspension of direct CARE programming, 
CARE has also suspended the work of sub-grantees and contractors. 
It has indefinitely postponed the recruitment of a Food Security 
Advisor for its food aid program.  At present, WFP and ICRC have 
begun planning for assuming CARE's food aid distributions, but there 
is no indication that another organization would be willing to take 
over its other activities, which would force the closure of programs 
that sustain many Somali national NGOs. 
 
-------------------- 
Contingency Planning 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The World Food Program (WFP)has developed contingency 
 
NAIROBI 00002521  002 OF 002 
 
 
preparations to take over food distribution in the event of a CARE 
closure.  However, WFP is already stretched thin by its existing 
operations and it does not have the same local expertise and 
contacts as CARE in these areas. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) ICRC has indicated that it would temporarily assume 
responsibility for Mudug/Galgaduud and Las Anod (the disputed border 
area between Somaliland and Puntland) regions until such time that 
WFP or another agency could step in.  ICRC has estimated that it 
could procure food commercially within six weeks of being asked via 
a Somali contractor to feed an estimated 422,000 beneficiaries 
(72,000 HH) through the end of the calendar year but that it would 
need additional funding to go beyond that time-frame.  WFP favors a 
temporary re-entry of ICRC so that WFP would not have to take over 
all the CARE areas at once and so that it would have time to vet 
CARE's existing implementing partners.  ICRC indicated that due to 
political sensitivities, it would not distribute USG-marked bags 
originally ear-marked for CARE. 
 
 
Overall Impacts 
of Program Closures 
------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In the event of CARE's closure, over one million 
vulnerable people will not receive urgently needed food aid.  A 
closure of its program in South Central Somalia would have an impact 
on 90% of CARE's current grant portfolio in Somalia and would affect 
roughly 1.2 million beneficiaries, including about one million 
people expecting to receive CARE's food for the reminder of the 
year, all of whom live in areas classified by FSAU as in 
"humanitarian emergency" - one level below "famine" on the food 
security classification scale.  At present, CARE has 37,000 MT of 
commodities in the pipeline for immediate distribution.  The closure 
would involve shutting down twelve programs: three emergency 
programs, three recovery programs, and five development programs 
funded by USAID, OFDA, EC, ECHO, Norway, the Netherlands and 
Germany.  It would also negatively impact CARE's ability to support 
operations in Somaliland and Puntland from Nairobi.  CARE would be 
forced to sever its relations with roughly 60 implementing partners, 
terminate approximately 120 staff and close out two sub-offices and 
three field-offices. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) A closure of CARE, coupled with the recent suspension and 
closure of International Medical Corps (IMC), which has also been 
threatened by al-Shabaab, would have an extremely deleterious impact 
on Somalia's most vulnerable.  Since 1991 IMC has been the lead 
organization providing maternal and child health (MCH) care in Bay 
and Bakool regions.  It is currently providing essential health 
services to 23,000 people per month.  IMC's closure would directly 
affect USAID's recently awarded $3.5 million supplementary feeding 
programs for 650 acutely malnourished children and another 3600 
severely malnourished children. 
 
Running Out 
of Options 
----------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) With little space for humanitarian agencies to work in 
Somalia, most organizations are focusing on critical life-saving 
programs.  The direct threat against CARE, recent looting of WFP, 
and continued targeting of aid workers are stark evidence that 
delivery of food aid has become increasingly difficult.  While the 
international community is committed to re-programming resources to 
directly support the Djibouti peace process, it will be an enormous 
challenge just to sustain relationships with implementing partners 
in the current environment. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) If they persist, the security challenges and the 
concomitant decreased operating space for humanitarian activities 
will make it difficult to use programs in unstable regions in order 
to capitalize on windows of opportunity.  On the heels of the 
Stockholm donor meeting, the Embassy's Somalia Country Team is 
meeting with other donors and international partners in Nairobi in 
order to chart a realistic way forward. 
 
RANNEBERGER