VZCZCXRO8202
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0746/01 1650617
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 140617Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3936
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0069
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000746 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/C 
NSC FOR MGAVIN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS 
NEW YORK ALSO FOR DMERCADO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF EAID KPKO SOCI ASEC AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: DARFUR - HUMANITAREAN SITUATION IN KALMA IDP CAMP CRITICAL 
AS IMPEDIMENTS CONTINUE 
 
REFS: A) KHARTOUM 410 
      B) KHARTOUM 418 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (U) Kalma internally displaced person (IDP) camp, near Nyala, 
South Darfur, remains one of the most significant humanitarian-gap 
areas following the early March expulsions of international 
non-governmental organizations by the Government of Sudan (GoS). 
According to field reports, the humanitarian situation in Kalma has 
become critical, as South Darfur state authorities continue to delay 
the initiation of delivery of humanitarian services by the three 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) approved by camp leaders to 
provide assistance.  The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and NGOs report 
deteriorating health and water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions 
in the camp.  Humanitarian agencies express grave concern regarding 
the effect of continued delays, particularly given the upcoming 
rainy season.  End summary. 
 
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Expulsions, Intransigent Camp Leaders Limit Access to Kalma 
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¶2.  (U) Following the early March expulsions of 13 international 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including five organizations 
working in Kalma camp, suspicious camp leaders denied access to UN 
agencies and NGOs, expressing concern that the GoS intended to use 
the opportunity to evacuate the camp and force camp residents to 
return to their areas of origin (reftels).  Thus, relief assistance, 
including health services, routine immunizations, nutrition support, 
and food assistance, largely ceased as the UN, camp leaders, and GoS 
representatives negotiated humanitarian access to the camp. 
 
¶3.  (U) On April 7, UN World Food Program (WFP) implementing partner 
World Vision gained access to Kalma to commence a food distribution 
following negotiations between humanitarian agencies and IDP 
leaders.  However, IDP leaders continued their month-long refusal of 
additional humanitarian services.  As a result, neither the 
regularly scheduled polio immunization campaign nor the meningitis 
vaccination operation occurred in Kalma.  Camp leaders also refused 
to allow government authorities to provide fuel for motorized water 
pumps. 
 
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Camp Leaders Relent, New Obstacle Emerges 
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¶4. (U) After nearly one month of negotiations, on April 19, Kalma 
IDP camp leaders approved three USAID-funded international NGO 
partners, International Medical Corps (IMC), Merlin, and American 
Refugee Committee (ARC), to fill health, nutrition and water, 
sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) gaps in the camp.  With IDP leaders' 
approval, ARC, IMC, Merlin, UNICEF, and the UN World Health 
Organization conducted a rapid needs assessment in the camp, 
revealing urgent water needs and depleted medical supplies. 
 
¶5. (U) On May 13, ARC, IMC, and Merlin intended to commence 
activities in Kalma, initially focusing on identifying qualified 
former staff and verifying stocks of supplies and materials.  During 
a May 13 health coordination meeting in Nyala, however, the State 
Ministry of Health (SMoH) informed NGO partners that recruiting 
former national staff in Kalma was not possible unless the hiring 
process proceeded through the Government of National Unity 
Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), 
a process that the NGOs noted has taken up to six months to complete 
in the past.  The HAC, MoH, and involved NGOs held a special meeting 
on May 14 to resolve the issue. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following the May 14 meeting, HAC informed the NGOs that 
they would not be permitted to provide assistance in Kalma camp 
until all activities were discussed directly with the South Darfur 
Deputy Wali, or governor.  Since then, however, the Wali's office 
has cancelled or rescheduled all meetings with the NGOs, leaving 
urgent health and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs largely 
unmet.  On May 26, one of the NGO partners reported that the HAC 
disallowed staff travel to the camp, insisting that the NGOs must 
 
KHARTOUM 00000746  002 OF 003 
 
 
first resolve their status with the Wali's office. 
 
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Current Kalma Camp Conditions 
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¶7.  (SBU) On June 4, Merlin (please protect) reported deteriorating 
conditions in Kalma camp and urged immediate intervention by the UN 
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to 
resolve the crisis.  Merlin reported that drug and other medical 
supplies at both health clinics in the camp formerly run by expelled 
NGOs were nearly exhausted and that the quality of drinking water 
was of major concern.  A small number of former NGO staff were 
volunteering in the former IRC clinic to provide urgent care; 
however, only a one-week supply of drugs remained.  Without support 
and medical supplies, Merlin reported that these staff would be 
unable to keep the clinic open.  National staff in this clinic see 
up to 200 patients per day, with three to five serious cases 
requiring referral to Nyala, which no longer can be facilitated due 
to lack of transport.  In addition, drug supplies are nearly 
exhausted in the former MSF/H clinic, where former MSF/H staff had 
been purchasing essential drugs to support the clinic using pooled 
severance payments.  Merlin noted that the former MSF/H clinic would 
soon close.  Field staff noted extremely long queues for water, with 
people waiting in line for days to use hand pumps.  As camp leaders 
continue to refuse GoS fuel deliveries, motorized pumps are not 
operational.  In addition, humanitarian agencies express concern 
regarding poor water quality as the water table falls. 
 
¶8.  (U) UNICEF continues to provide nutrition support by 
transporting supplies for the SMoH and providing salary support to 
former nutrition workers employed previously by an expelled NGO. 
However, this arrangement is unsustainable in the long-term and 
risks the deterioration of services, including decreased early 
detection of malnutrition with the loss of outreach workers and 
reduced capacity to manage the seasonal increase in malnutrition 
during the hunger gap from April to September. 
 
¶9.  (U) Responding to reports of exhausted medical supplies in 
Kalma, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) offered to provide 
medical drugs for the camp, but camp leaders rebuffed the offer. 
They continue to distrust WHO, since WHO traditionally works with 
the GoS MOH.  On June 7, a team comprising UN World Health 
Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and OCHA representatives visited Kalma 
to assess the medical supplies in the former Medecins Sans 
Frontieres Holland (MSF/H) clinic and water points in the camp. 
However, camp leaders denied them access to the clinic, stating that 
the leaders must discuss the matter internally before permitting the 
team to enter the camp. 
 
¶10.  (U) Lack of support prior to and during the upcoming rainy 
season could significantly exacerbate inadequate heath and water, 
sanitation, and hygiene conditions in the camp.  During the rainy 
season, IDPs may be tempted to avoid long queues at water pumps by 
using unsafe drinking water from the nearby wadi, or seasonal 
riverbed.  Nutrition and health conditions also typically worsen 
during the rainy season.  With limited disease surveillance and the 
lack of regularly scheduled vaccination campaigns, increases in 
disease incidence that are typical during the rainy season could 
significantly worsen.  Humanitarian partners planned to raise the 
issue with the HAC prior to the Tripartite Joint Technical 
Committee, scheduled for June 9. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) NGOs have expressed frustration regarding delays and 
perceived weakness in the UN's engagement with the GoS on the issue 
of Kalma camp, particularly given the potential for further 
deterioration of humanitarian indicators, as well as security.  On 
June 10, Merlin sent a second urgent letter on behalf of the NGO 
Steering Committee in South Darfur to the OCHA Deputy Resident 
Coordinator regarding the humanitarian situation in Kalma, 
requesting immediate intervention with the relevant government 
authorities.  On June 11, OCHA delivered a letter to South Darfur's 
Deputy Wali outlining conditions at Kalma and expressing concern 
regarding the more than three week delay in approval for the NGOs' 
work plans and the South Darfur authorities' refusal of travel 
permits to the NGOs.  In addition, OCHA noted that the delay in 
resuming health services could increase tension in the camp. 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000746  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶12.  (SBU) On June 11, the HAC Secretary General notified the UN 
that the heads of UN agencies are expected to attend a meeting on 
June 13 in the South Darfur Wali's office, with HAC Commissioner 
General Hassabo and Special Advisor to the President Dr. Ghazi. 
Non-UN agencies were specifically excluded from the meeting 
invitation. 
 
- - - - 
Comment 
- - - - 
 
¶11.  (SBU) More than three months after the early March NGO 
expulsions, Kalma camp continues to languish without significant 
progress in filling gaps created by the loss of five major 
humanitarian organizations.  Both the camp sheikhs and the South 
Darfur government have presented challenges to service provision, 
leaving 90,000 camp residents without urgently needed assistance. 
The politicization of the gap-filling process in Kalma, one of the 
most volatile and politically charged camps in Darfur, is perhaps 
unsurprising; however, the continued stand-off and the upcoming 
rainy season have the potential to create a serious humanitarian 
emergency if prolonged much further.  The lack of drugs and medical 
supplies, as well as the limited water supply, are of particular 
concern. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Comment continued:  USAID will continue to liaise with 
partners ARC, IMC, and Merlin, as well as UN agencies, to monitor 
progress in gaining access to begin services in Kalma camp.  In 
addition, Post will continue to encourage the GoS at the federal 
level to ensure that state-level officials abide by agreements to 
facilitate humanitarian assistance, even in locations the GoS finds 
unsavory. 
 
WHITEHEAD