VZCZCXRO0601
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0610/01 1301537
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101537Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3729
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 000610 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, 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: EAID PGOV PREL PREF ASEC SOCI KPKO AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: Confronting Challenges to Humanitarian Operations in West 
Darfur 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (SBU) From April 15 to 17, USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign 
Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) field officers visited El Geneina, 
West Darfur, for the first time since July 2008. There they 
discussed the impact of the early March non-governmental 
organization (NGO) expulsions on humanitarian programs in West 
Darfur and remaining organizations' plans to address gaps in 
assistance.  The team met with USAID/OFDA-funded NGOs including 
Medair, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), International Medical Corps 
(IMC), and Tearfund, as well as UN agencies including the UN World 
Health Organization (WHO), the UN Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC), 
the UN World Food Program (WFP), and the UN Department of Safety and 
Security (UNDSS).  Partners reported that insecurity in West Darfur 
remains a major constraint to program implementation in the area, 
hampering the provision of humanitarian assistance to 
conflict-affected populations.  According to USAID/OFDA discussions 
with remaining NGOs, the latter plan to expand areas of operation 
and programs to address gaps left by expelled NGOs in West Darfur, 
including in food security, food and emergency relief supply 
distributions, health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, 
and hygiene (WASH).  Despite remaining organizations' attempts to 
address gaps in the health sector, health partners report that the 
West Darfur State Ministry of Health's (SMOH) refusal to acknowledge 
gaps, together with weak coordination by the UN health-sector 
cluster lead, has delayed the remaining health-sector partners from 
quantifying gaps, assessing the available capacity to address gaps, 
and coordinating a timely response.  End Summary. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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¶2.  (U) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
mapping department conceptually divides West Darfur State into 
western West Darfur and eastern West Darfur for logistical reasons. 
Western West Darfur houses the West Darfur state capital of El 
Geneina.  This area comprises the northern corridor, the area north 
of El Geneina town; the southwest corridor, the area directly to the 
south of Geneina; the southern corridor, the area stretching from El 
Geneina south to Habila and on to Foro Baranga; and the eastern 
corridor, the area east of El Geneina to Zalingei. 
 
¶3.  (U) The eastern part of West Darfur includes the Zalingei, Wadi 
Salih, Mukjar, Um Dukhum, and Jebel Marra areas.  As some 
humanitarian agencies working in eastern  West Darfur access 
programs through South Darfur for logistic reasons and are not 
present in El Geneina town, communication and travel have been 
limited to El Geneina and discussions with partners based in the 
town focus mostly on the western region of West Darfur State. 
 
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USAID/OFDA PARTNERS IN WEST DARFUR 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) To provide basic services to conflict-affected populations, 
USAID/OFDA currently supports seven international NGOs in West 
Darfur:  World Relief, Concern, Terre Des Hommes, CRS, Tearfund, 
IMC, and Medair, as well as several UN agencies.  From April 15 to 
17, USAID/OFDA field officers traveled to West Darfur to meet with 
partners CRS, IMC, Medair, Tearfund, UNJLC, WHO, WFP, and UNDSS. 
Prior to its expulsion in early March, Save the Children/U.S. 
(SC/US) was a key USAID/OFDA partner in western West Darfur. 
Following the expulsions, the closure of SC/US programs in all four 
geographic corridors in western West Darfur created significant 
humanitarian gaps in the food security and agriculture, 
coordination, health, nutrition, protection, education, and WASH 
sectors, as well as the provision of emergency relief supplies.  In 
addition, USAID/OFDA partner CARE, which was also expelled in March, 
supported transportation of emergency relief supplies for the 
Non-Food Item (NFI) Common Pipeline and NFI distributions in limited 
locations in the northern and eastern corridors of western West 
Darfur.  CARE also supported food distributions in the Wadi Salih, 
Mukjar, and Um Dukhum areas of eastern West Darfur, and expelled NGO 
Mercy Corps supported NFI distributions and WASH programs in Wadi 
Salih, Mukjar, Um Dukhum, and Zalingei. 
 
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POTENTIAL "GAP Filling" 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) USAID/OFDA-funded partner CRS is considering significantly 
 
KHARTOUM 00000610  002 OF 004 
 
 
increasing operations and doubling capacity in West Darfur to 
address gaps in assistance caused by the expulsions, predominantly 
in WASH, food security, food and NFI distributions, and shelter. 
CRS currently operates north of El Geneina along the northern 
corridor; however, to address gaps left by SC/US, CRS is considering 
expanding activities in areas such as Beida to the southeast of El 
Geneina and areas in the southern corridor, such as Habila and Foro 
Baranga.  CRS also is considering filling gaps in Wadi Salih, 
Mukjar, and Um Dukhum left by expelled NGO partners CARE and Mercy 
Corps in food security, provision of NFIs, and WASH.  CRS is 
currently a WFP implementing partner in the northern corridor and 
has a beneficiary load of 160,000 individuals.  Following the 
expulsions, CRS signed a cooperative agreement with WFP to assume 
control of 27 food distribution points in the southern corridor, 
which will add a further 263,000 beneficiaries to the organization's 
caseload.  CRS currently distributes dry rations as well as 
supporting health messaging in supplementary feeding programs (SFP) 
for 7,000 beneficiaries in the northern corridor.  In cooperation 
with WFP, the organization plans to increase its caseload to support 
14,000 new beneficiaries in SFPs in the new areas of operation.  CRS 
has also signed agreements with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to 
construct 1,350 latrines, provide support for solid waste 
management, distribute soap, and promote hygiene for 45,000 
beneficiaries in the southern corridor and Mukjar areas. 
 
¶6.  (U) CRS is working with UNJLC to distribute NFIs to 10,000 
beneficiaries prior to the onset of the annual summer rainy season. 
Since mid-March, CRS has successfully dispatched ten international 
staff from its regional office in Kenya to support the Sudan team 
with internal operations, assessments, and recruitment of eight 
senior national staff employees.  CRS anticipates establishing three 
sub-offices located in Habila, Mukjar, and Um Dukhum to adequately 
address the program expansions.  State-level officials from all 
appropriate line ministries in El Geneiena have approved CRS' 
tehnical agreements, and CRS is coordinating with appropriate UN 
cluster leads in the various sectors on potential expansions. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Over the past six months, insecurity has limited 
Tearfund's ability to maintain a physical presence in Beida locality 
in the southwest corridor, the current location of the 
organization's USAID/OFDA-funded activities.  In Beida, Tearfund has 
had to balance the provision of humanitarian assistance with safety 
amid tensions between Arab and African ethnic groups and nomadic 
populations.  On March 22, Tearfund relocated staff from the area 
due to threats of international staff abductions.  On April 14, UN 
security canceled Tearfund's attempts to resume one-day visits to 
the area, due to reports of significant movements by Chadian armed 
opposition groups in the area and possible incursions into Chad. 
Tearfund confirmed that while it has been able to implement and 
monitor USAID/OFDA-funded programs remotely from El Geneina, the 
programs have suffered from decreased output and quality due to lack 
of direct supervision.  Tearfund is currently conducting an internal 
assessment and analysis on how it might address humanitarian gaps; 
however, it has not yet developed any concrete plans to expand 
operations. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Historically, international NGOs in West Darfur have 
benefited from supportive Sudanese government officials, including 
the El Geneina Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), as well as line 
ministries, according to USAID/OFDA partners in the area.  Thanks to 
this supportive atmosphere, NGOs in West Darfur typically have been 
able to implement humanitarian programs relatively easily compared 
to other Darfur states, where NGOs experience significant 
bureaucratic obstacles to program implementation.  For instance, the 
Government of National Unity Office of Water and Environmental 
Sanitation in West Darfur, with support from UNICEF as the sector 
lead, has actively facilitated access for NGOs that have expressed 
an interest in conducting assessments aimed at filling gaps. 
However, during USAID/OFDA's recent visit, both Medair and IMC 
reported that the SMOH has been reluctant to permit NGOs to conduct 
assessments in West Darfur to quantify gaps in the health sector. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) According to Medair and IMC, the SMOH is unwilling to 
admit the existence of gaps in the health system created by the 
expulsion of SC/US.  SMOH asserts that government-sponsored agencies 
are addressing all gaps in the health sector created by the 
expulsions and that national NGOs are expected to take over and 
support programs in the long-term.  Although both Medair and IMC 
have requested permits to assess health gaps in various locations, 
the West Darfur State HAC has denied them access.  The SMOH stated 
that Sudanese doctors working in Darfur until the end of April and 
the Egyptian doctors, who are expected to arrive in Darfur soon, 
will be able to fill the gaps.  The SMOH's approach has alarmed the 
UN World Health Organization (WHO), as the NGO expulsions 
 
KHARTOUM 00000610  003 OF 004 
 
 
interrupted referral systems and disrupted early warning systems, 
reducing the health sector's capacity and ability to respond to 
health-related emergencies.  WHO reports that only six of the 15 
primary health care centers located in West Darfur previously 
supported by expelled NGOs were functioning as of mid-April. 
 
¶10.  (U) While doctors arriving from Khartoum were tasked to fill 
health gaps in the three Darfur states, most have preferred to 
remain in urban areas, leaving rural areas and non 
government-controlled areas without essential medical services. 
Furthermore, it remains unclear how rapidly the Egyptian doctors 
will be able to depart for Sudan and become operational upon 
arrival.  In a meeting with the WHO Emergency Coordinator on April 
27, WHO mentioned that the federal MOH has requested assistance from 
WHO to provide logistical support for the team of Egyptian doctors 
once they arrive in Sudan. 
 
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UN SECTOR LEADS 
--------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The UN in Sudan officially adopted the cluster approach 
to programming under the 2009 Work Plan for Sudan.  The main 
objective of the cluster system is to ensure coordination among UN 
agencies through joint programming, information sharing, knowledge 
sharing on technical and policy issues, and the joint formulation of 
sector/thematic strategies.  This approach to programming also is 
aimed at synergizing program implementation by combining support and 
common services and provides a mechanism for the UN to interface 
with the government on thematic issues as they relate to broader 
policy strategies and program implementation.  WHO is the health 
sector lead under the cluster approach.  Despite the organization's 
role as sector lead, partners in West Darfur expressed frustration 
with WHO's lack of leadership capacity in coordination and 
information sharing, noting that the health sector lacks a 
coordinated approach to responding to the current gaps in 
humanitarian assistance. 
 
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SECURITY 
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¶12.  (SBU) Lack of access to conflict-affected populations due to 
insecurity continues to hamper the delivery of humanitarian 
assistance in West Darfur.  Between April 1 and 15, the UN reported 
an upsurge in security incidents in the state, including 
carjackings, temporary staff abductions, banditry, robberies, and 
assaults on humanitarian premises.  According to UN security 
officials, assailants broke into 13 humanitarian compounds in El 
Geneina from late February to March 2009, compared to almost no 
assaults on compounds in 2008.  To decrease the likelihood of 
carjackings, the UN has reverted to using minivans in town and 
traveling in convoys when possible.  Although the curfew in El 
Geneina town is 2000 hours local time, WFP requires that all 
vehicles return inside the compound by 1630 hours.  Due to decreased 
security, partners reported that NGOs accessed most projects via 
air. 
 
¶13. (SBU) During the USAID/OFDA visit to West Darfur, Tamer Saad El 
Derini, head of UNDSS in West Darfur, reported a relatively calm 
security situation in El Geneina town.  However, on April 12, 
Sudanese government security officials alerted the UN of a potential 
kidnapping threat targeting foreign humanitarian aid workers.  While 
the security officials did not disclose the source or extent of the 
threat, the UN is actively monitoring security in El Geneina and has 
increased surveillance monitoring systems to allow UN security to 
respond efficiently and rapidly to potential incidents.  In 
collaboration with local police and security officials, UNDSS has 
established police checkpoints in areas of town with high 
concentrations of NGOs.  UNDSS has also equipped police at the 
checkpoints with VHF radios programmed with the UN frequency, so 
that police can directly contact the UN radio room.  Furthermore, 
all international NGOs have programmed radios to contain the 
U.N.-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) frequency on a 
dedicated channel to initiate quick response in event of a security 
incident.  UNAMID and the Sudanese government have also increased 
the number of joint patrols throughout the night in El Geneina. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) El Derini reported that El Geneina currently is 
experiencing a visible increase in the movement of armed elements 
within the town.  On April 13, the Sudanese government and Sudanese 
Armed Forces (SAF) put on a show of force, demonstrating an increase 
in military equipment and other assets by flying four fighter jets 
from the airport and conducting a parade through town.  The heavy 
 
KHARTOUM 00000610  004 OF 004 
 
 
presence and build-up of Chadian armed opposition forces in West 
Darfur towns pose a threat to NGOs' security and have limited 
program implementation in the area.  For example, on April 14, lack 
of security forced CRS to suspend an assessment mission to Foro 
Baranga.  During an assessment the week of April 5, UN security 
observed a similar increased presence of armed military personal in 
Beida.  In early to mid-April, UN security also received confirmed 
reports that approximately 5,000 members of Chadian armed opposition 
groups were moving from Habila, West Darfur, into Chad.  El Derini 
notes that troop movement across the borders is not unusual prior to 
the onset of the rainy season, as this period is the optimum time 
for military operations on both sides.  The UN is concerned about a 
potential outbreak of violence should either side attempt to 
exercise force. 
 
---------------------- 
COMMENT AND CONCLUSION 
---------------------- 
 
¶15.  (SBU) The mid-April visit to El Geneina confirmed the existence 
of significant humanitarian assistance gaps in food security, food 
and NFI distributions, WASH, health, nutrition, and protection, due 
to the expulsion of key NGO partners, particularly SC/US, CARE, and 
Mercy Corps.  Remaining international and national NGOs are 
coordinating and cooperating with government authorities and UN 
agencies to address critical gaps while at the same time planning, 
strategizing, and seeking funds to support longer-term solutions. 
Supported by UN cluster leads, the majority of line ministries 
demonstrate a willingness to coordinate and facilitate assessments 
and future planning with NGO partners, with the notable exception of 
the SMOH, which continues to insist that government interventions 
are adequately addressing current gaps, and that national NGOs will 
cover future gaps.  As the health sector lead, WHO has been unable 
to change SMOH's view or policy.  As a result, plans for long-term 
solutions in the health sector remain problematic. 
 
¶16.  (SBU) The visit also confirmed that the fragile security 
situation in El Geneina has had a marked impact on humanitarian 
operations.  A pervasive atmosphere of anxiety and tension exists in 
the international community due to the military build-up, movements 
along the Sudan-Chad border, and increased criminality.  The 
militarization of West Darfur, due largely to the Sudan-Chad proxy 
war, continues to be an impediment to humanitarian service delivery 
in this fragile area. 
 
FERNANDEZ