VZCZCXRO6554
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0594/01 1251423
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051423Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3703
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000594 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/C 
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: IDPS COMPLAIN OF WATER SHORTAGES, DETERIORATING HEALTH AND 
SANITATION IN ABU SHOUK CAMP 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 577 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The effects of the March 4 expulsion of thirteen 
INGOs continues to be felt in Abu Shouk camp, which is facing a 
water shortage and poor health and sanitation conditions, camp umdas 
(community leaders) reported to poloff on April 28 in El Fasher.  In 
the health and sanitation realm, the umdas said that latrines are 
full and need to be emptied, soap distribution has ceased, and no 
spraying of insecticides has occurred since the April 7 unrest 
following a spraying that the umdas claim sickened several IDPs. 
They also   reported that, with water infrastructure having fallen 
into disrepair under the management of local NGOs, enterprising IDPs 
have resorted to buying water in El Fasher town and reselling it in 
the camp for a profit.  The umdas noted a breakdown of trust between 
local Sudanese NGOs and IDPs.  Humanitarian workers in Abu Shouk 
camp have not documented such a dire and deteriorating situation as 
described by the umdas, nor has the UN corroborated these reports. 
Nonetheless, Post is monitoring the situation closely and following 
up with both the UN and remaining NGOs. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 28, poloff met with several umdas from Abu Shouk 
IDP camp, including Mohamed Izrif Ali, Ahmed Abu El Basher, and 
Hussein Fajo. The umdas expressed their gratitude for the 
opportunity to meet, noting that "the [US Embassy] Green House (one 
of the Embassy's rented houses in El Fasher) is "the only place" in 
which IDPs trust having meetings in the town of El Fasher. They 
reported that the humanitarian situation in Abu Shouk continues to 
deteriorate following the March 4 expulsion of thirteen INGOs, 
citing gaps left by Action Contre La Faim (nutrition), Oxfam (water 
and sanitation) and IRC (health) as having had the most significant 
impact. They also decried the apparent departure of SOS and the 
Spanish Red Cross (SpRC), which they claimed abandoned their work in 
the camp as a result of pressure from the government around the time 
of the expulsions. (NOTE: SpRC pulled out of Darfur in late 2007 for 
reasons unrelated to the ICC. END NOTE). 
 
WATER SHORTAGE CONTINUES 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) A shortage of water remains one of the greatest 
humanitarian challenges in Abu Shouk, according to the umdas. The 
departure of Oxfam has resulted in a dearth of fuel and spare parts 
for water pumps. Local NGOs are not up to the task of managing the 
camp's water infrastructure; their failure to check or maintain the 
camp's boreholes has resulted in the drying up of several wells, 
they said. Currently the government's Water Environment and 
Sanitation (WES) Department is the only water provider in the camp. 
The government has committed to support the water, sanitation and 
hygiene operations in Darfur until the end of the year.  According 
to El Basher, it now takes 3 days for a family to receive a half 
barrel or water (equivalent to six jerry cans.)(Note: Boreholes in 
North Darfur, including in IDP camps such as Abu Shouk, typically 
dry up during the April-June dry season as a result of the lowering 
water table. The use of water in brick-making and construction in 
Abu Shouk further strains the camp's water resources. End Note.) 
 
HEALTH AND SANITATION ALSO DETERIORATING 
---------------------------------------- 
¶4. (SBU) Due to water shortages, enterprising IDPs have taken to 
purchasing water in El Fasher town and reselling it at Abu Shouk for 
a profit. The water problem may also be causing adverse health 
effects. Claiming that there has been a rise in miscarriages among 
pregnant women in the camp, the umdas speculated that this was 
linked to the pregnant women spending hours pumping water from 
hand-pumps. They urged the USG to pressure the GOS to allow the 
return of capable INGOs to reverse the water crisis. "We need them 
to come rescue us," they said. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The umdas noted that community leaders in Abu Shouk meet 
weekly to discuss the general situation in the camp. Last week, they 
said, nearly every umda reported a rise in diarrhea in children 
between 1-5 years old in their respective areas and an increase in 
child mortality. They claimed that 10 to 15 people were dying in Abu 
Shouk every day (including those of natural causes,) and noted the 
majority of these are children. (Note: An April 24 WHO 
epidemiological report does not corroborate this and states that 5-7 
people per week are dying from disease in Abu Shouk. End Note.) 
Since the NGO expulsions, Health Kuwaiti Patient Fund, the Egyptian 
Hospital and the Ministry of Health (MOH), which took over the IRC 
clinic, are the only health providers in Abu Shouk camp. The umdas 
said they believed health problems were caused by poor sanitation, 
noting that many of the camp's latrines are full and have not been 
emptied. Oxfam also used to distribute soap for washing, they said. 
WES has distributed the remainder of soap held in Oxfam's 
 
KHARTOUM 00000594  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
warehouses, but has not replenished the stock. Since this happened, 
no additional soap has been distributed, and the umdas expressed 
concern that disease may be spreading as a result. UNICEF is the 
water, sanitation and hygiene sector lead, responsible for 
coordinating the replenishment of soap in IDP camps.  However, due 
to a shortage of funds, UNICEF has had to cut back on the quantity 
of soap it provides throughout Darfur.  Flies and other insects have 
also become a problem, the umdas  said, noting that while INGOs used 
to spray insecticide in the camp, no one has done so since the April 
7 unrest that followed the reported sickening of several women and 
children from an insecticide spraying ordered by the Ministry of 
Health. (Note: In the past WHO, in coordination with SMoH, has 
facilitated all vector control spraying campaigns.  In the April 07 
incident, camp residents were not adequately sensitized/notified 
that the spraying campaign would take place.   This lack of 
notification resulted in the beating of two UN national staff by 
IDPs who were suspicious of what was being sprayed in the camp.  The 
beatings have resulted in local NGOs being unwilling to enter the 
camp out of fear of IDP hostility. End Note). 
 
LOCAL NGOS SHUNNED AS MISTRUST, SUSPICIONS ABOUND 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The April spraying incident solidified feelings of mistrust 
and induced a total lack of confidence in local NGOs on the part of 
suspicious IDPs, according to the umdas. They cited, as an example, 
the Sudanese Ministry of Health's recent attempt to conduct a 
vaccination campaign in the camp, which was thwarted when suspicious 
mothers took the vaccines and threw them away. Al Basher also cited 
another incident in which a local NGO came to distribute medicine, 
but it turned out to be expired.  "This shows the local NGOs are not 
acting in good faith," he said. (Note: The government has made an 
effort to staff the camp's former IRC clinic with Ministry of Health 
staff, but the IDP populations in the camp, especially women, are 
refusing to visit the clinics due to suspicion and fear. End Note.) 
 
¶7. (SBU) El Basher stated that another reason for mistrust of local 
NGOs is the perception that they are focused not on humanitarian 
works, but rather on political and security concerns. Local NGOs are 
not using the same personnel as the expelled INGOS, and were loath 
to hire IDPs, he said. "These new people they are bringing in to 
work are associated with the security apparatus," he said. He noted 
that on the dates of April 10, 11, 20 and 21, the security organs 
arrested a number of camp youth on unknown charges. The umdas also 
said that the reason they were over an hour late for the meeting 
with poloff was that they were not able to leave the camp together 
for fear of being seen by security forces. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Like many IDPs, the umdas believe that the government is 
seeking to disperse the IDP camps by withholding services. "The 
government has resorted to using new weapons, those of hunger, 
thirst and abuse. It's worse than bombing," said El Basher. But he 
also predicted that any effort to force IDPs to move by withholding 
services would be unsuccessful. "IDPs would rather die in the camps, 
in view of the international community, than alone in the bush." 
Asked about the government's encouragement of voluntary returns, the 
umdas scoffed, noting that many areas formerly inhabited Abu Shouk 
residents have been taken up by well-armed migrants from West 
Africa. "We can't return home, or settle in other areas either," 
they said. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment: It is important to note that the humanitarian 
community working in Abu Shouk has not documented such a dire and 
deteriorating situation as described by these highly politicized 
umdas.  Although the primary and largest NGO providers of health and 
water sanitation services are no longer present in the camp, various 
organizations have stepped in to the fill the gap. The UN reports 
that 18 out of 48 pumps are working in Abu Shouk with WES 
attributing the water situation to the water table depletion. 
However, UN assessments indicate that in many locations ground water 
monitoring and quality monitoring are not covered and if actions to 
address water, sanitation and hygiene gaps throughout Darfur are not 
taken before the rainy season, there will be an outbreak of disease. 
In order to prevent a political and humanitarian crisis in the camp, 
efforts should be made to build trust between the IDP community and 
line ministries so that these ministries can provide much-needed 
services to camp residents. In addition, the GOS should continue 
with the immediate registration of new and ("new/old") NGOs. Post 
continues to closely monitor the Sudanese government's compliance 
with the framework agreement negotiated by SE Gration in 
coordination with the UN and other agencies.  Post will continue to 
work with the UN and the remaining NGOs to monitor the situation in 
Abu Shouk and other IDP camps and ensure that basic services 
continue while the capacity of remaining and new NGOs (once they 
 
KHARTOUM 00000594  003 OF 003 
 
 
arrive) is built up following the expulsion of 13 INGOs March 4. 
 
FERNANDEZ