VZCZCXRO9790
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0928/01 2231616
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111616Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4232
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0107
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0344
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0158
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 KHARTOUM 000928 
 
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 FOR DMERCADO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
Ref: A) KHARTOUM 507  B) KHARTOUM 383  C) Khartoum 345 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT:  Security, Access Continue to Limit Aid Efforts and Returns 
in North Darfur 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (U) Health and sanitation are stable in the old North Darfur Zam 
Zam internally displaced persons (IDP) camp.  However, the new camp 
has poor sanitation and high rates of child malnutrition.  Security 
in North Darfur remains tenuous.  UNAMID does no night patrols, and 
only one or two patrols outside some camps during the day.  Sexual 
and gender-based violence continue outside the camps. Since March, 
there have been three kidnappings of expatriate assistance workers 
in Darfur. In the first two instances, the workers were released 
unharmed.  Irish and Ugandan nationals kidnapped in the most recent 
incident in North Darfur are still being held. (Ref C)  NGO 
movements are restricted by a new requirement that humanitarian 
agencies obtain the approval of Military Intelligence, a process 
which requires three government stamps, more than required by the 
travel permit process.  Until the issue of security is adequately 
addressed by the GNU, insecurity in North Darfur will limit both 
humanitarian efforts and the return of IDPs to their homes.  End 
Summary 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
ZAM ZAM: Health, Nutrition Stable in Old Camp 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On July 30, USAID/OFDA traveled with implementing partner 
Relief International (RI) to Zam Zam IDP camp, located approximately 
17 km outside of El Fasher town.  RI has been operating in the area 
for more than five years and staffs two of the four Zam Zam-area 
clinics.  The team first visited RI's clinic in the old section of 
Zam Zam camp, where RI maintains several brick buildings, including 
a maternal health examination room, a delivery room, and a 
post-partum recovery room.  In addition, RI is currently 
constructing a four-room brick building that will house an operating 
room for simple procedures, a laboratory, and separate examination 
rooms for men and women.  According to RI, the clinic sees between 
1,500 and 1,800 individuals during a week (in farming season) and 
2,000 to 2,500 patients a week during the rest of the year.  In 
total, RI's patient load has decreased since 2008, thanks to the 
three other clinics serving the more than 110,000 individuals (IDPs 
and local residents) in the Zam Zam area. 
 
¶3. (U) RI staff regularly travel through the old section of Zam Zam 
camp to provide vaccination coverage and malnutrition screening for 
camp residents.  In June, RI conducted a vaccination campaign for 
diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, and polio. The 
organization's nutrition center provides weekly rations (distributed 
three days per week) to 490 supplementary feeding patients as well 
as 80 outpatients.  According to RI nutrition staff, malnutrition 
has decreased in the old section of Zam Zam camp in 2009, although 
malnutrition continues to rise sharply in the new section of the 
camp.  Despite typical seasonal increases in acute respiratory 
infections and diarrhea, health staff reported a stable overall 
health situation in the old section of Zam Zam camp. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Malnutrition Rife in Zam Zam New Camp 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) The situation in the new section of Zam Zam camp was starkly 
different from its older neighbor.  Following the Sudanese 
government bombings in Muhajeria, South Darfur, in January and 
February 2009, more than 30,000 individuals arrived at Zam Zam camp, 
swelling the camp's population to more than 100,000 individuals. 
(Note: As of July 28, the International Organization for Migration 
(IOM) confirmed nearly 24,000 new arrivals at the camp between 
January 26 and March 26.  A second verification campaign for later 
arrivals was scheduled to begin during the week of August 1. End 
Note)  Currently, the new section of the camp is overcrowded with 
tightly spaced ad-hoc shelters and no coordinated plan, resulting in 
poor sanitation and high rates of diarrheal diseases. 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000928  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶5. (U) RI began providing health services to the new area in April 
2009, and two large tents house both emergency medical and nutrition 
programs.  Unlike the RI clinic at the other end of the camp, all 
medical procedures occur in one of the two open tents, and 
supplementary food stocks are stored adjacent to vaccination 
supplies and patient beds.  According to RI, the clinic sees between 
250 and 300 patients per day, six days per week.  The majority of 
the patients are children suffering from malnutrition and the number 
continues to increase.  RI nutrition staff reported that the new 
section of the camp has a very high child mortality rate, because 
families typically do not bring malnourished children to the clinic 
until they are near death and beyond help from health providers. 
With the help of RI nutrition staff, the organization currently 
conducts limited supplementary feeding activities at the clinic, but 
lacks adequate facilities and funding to enlarge the operation.  In 
addition, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has provided support to RI 
and the UN World Food Program (WFP) provided an initial food 
distribution to camp residents. 
 
------------------------ 
New Camp Sanitation Poor 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) Despite efforts by the North Darfur State Ministry of Health 
and Government of National Unity (GNU) Office of Water and 
Environmental Sanitation (WES), the new section of Zam Zam camp 
suffers from high pollution and very poor sanitation with houses 
adjacent to latrines.  As a result of poor sanitation, health 
workers reported concern at the significant and increasing number of 
diarrhea patients.  As of August 1, 2009, the USG through USAID/OFDA 
obligated funds to construct a brick clinic in the new section of 
Zam Zam. 
 
¶7. (U) Despite camp overcrowding, local farmers prohibit the current 
camp from expanding onto additional farmland, and the GNU refuses to 
acknowledge that the camp residents are IDPs, thus restricting the 
delivery of additional assistance.  Facing the current challenges, 
RI staff reported good overall communication with IDPs, highlighting 
that community leaders in both sections of Zam Zam hold weekly 
meetings with humanitarian agencies to discuss ongoing needs and 
concerns. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Gender-Based Violence Continues Outside Camp 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) When asked directly, RI staff noted that sexual and 
gender-based violence (SGBV) still occurs outside the camp, although 
incidents of perpetrators raping women inside the camp have 
decreased since additional populations arrived.  RI staff noted that 
the clinic treats women for injuries, and staff support the victim 
if she wishes to report the incident.  Many women do not report rape 
in part because government, local security officials and other 
community members target and harass women following such reporting. 
According to RI staff, Zam Zam camp had 25 incidents of rape between 
December 2007 and August 2008; however, no newer information was 
available.  (Note: The UN Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reported continued problems of 
SGBV, including a late July incident outside Zam Zam camp when 
attackers killed a mother and injured her daughter as the woman 
tried to prevent the men from raping her child.  End Note) 
 
----------------------------------- 
Rural North Darfur Security Tenuous 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U)  Humanitarian staff described the security situation in El 
Fasher town as stable.  However, the security situation in rural 
areas of North Darfur remains tenuous, particularly Kutum, 
Kebkabiya, and Seraf Umra towns.  According to OCHA, "Although some 
IDPs leave for seasonal and agricultural returns, the majority 
return to camps for safety and security.  Voluntary returns will 
happen when security exists."  In addition, RI staff noted that Zam 
 
KHARTOUM 00000928  003 OF 004 
 
 
Zam IDPs will not return to South Darfur because of lack of 
security. 
 
¶10. (SBU)  Despite requests from IDPs, UNAMID does not conduct night 
patrols around camps and may only conduct a maximum of two patrols a 
day at one camp and no patrols at other camps, according to NGOs and 
UN agencies.  In addition, UNAMID does not conduct patrols to 
protect women traveling outside the camp to collect firewood. 
According to OCHA, IDPs perceive that UNAMID has a limited capacity 
and is unable to provide them with the necessary protection. 
Humanitarian staff believe that UNAMID is not fully using its 
Chapter 7 mandate to protect civilians by force if necessary.  OCHA 
noted that the North Darfur community wants the operation to have 
"more teeth" and do more to protect and engage local populations. 
 
 
¶11. (U) According to OCHA, as a result of increased local insecurity 
and decreased humanitarian presence and programming, North Darfur 
populations, particularly rural groups, continue to suffer.  The USG 
is funding USAID/OFDA's  Partner Aid International (PAI), which 
serves approximately 147,000 individuals in North Darfur rural 
areas, mainly through low visibility projects run by local staff and 
with a minimal international staff presence.  According to OCHA, the 
current insecurity and suspension of programs also creates a large 
corridor of population whose needs remain unserved by UN and 
international organizations.  One example is the area of Kebkabiya 
where 100,000 IDPs reside.  As a result of insecurity, international 
organizations have departed the town, leaving national organizations 
that have minimal capacity and staff.  Two national NGOs currently 
work in Kebkabiya, an area that Oxfam/Great Britain had served since 
1985 until the organization's March 2009 expulsion. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Expulsions, Kidnappings Limit Expat Staff 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) According to USAID/OFDA implementing partner PAI, on October 
30, 2008, deep field locations and programs in North Darfur had 43 
international staff present.  As of July 16, 2009, there were only 
two expatriate staff in all North Darfur deep field locations.  This 
significant change results from the NGO expulsions, ongoing 
insecurity, and three kidnapping episodes involving humanitarian 
staff. 
 
¶13. (SBU) According to PAI, NGOs cannot expand programming until 
local and international officials address the issue of impunity for 
the perpetrators of the hostage incidents since March 2009. 
Authorities have not arrested any kidnappers in these episodes and 
humanitarian staffremain concerned for their safety.  Two members of 
USAID/OFDA implementing partner GOAL's staff, an Irish and Ugandan 
national, have been held hostage for more than a month as 
representatives from their governments and the GNU negotiate with 
the kidnappers. 
 
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New Decree Restricts Travel 
--------------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) NGO staff said that the most recent federal-level 
Ministerial Decree has increased bureaucratic impediments and travel 
restrictions placed on humanitarian organizations.  The travel 
notification has become another level of clearance and restriction 
of NGO movement by adding the approval of Military Intelligence 
before permitting an NGO to travel to program sites outside El 
Fasher. (Note: Travel notifications require three government stamps, 
versus the travel permit that required only two stamps. End Note) 
PAI staff noted appreciation for Dr. Ghazi Salahuddin's cooperation 
and ongoing work with humanitarian actors.  However, local officials 
still do not receive or implement federal-level messages to reduce 
harassment and restrictions on humanitarian work.  For example, 
local officials continue to request travel permits for NGO supplies 
which federal-level officials have indicated are unnecessary. 
 
 
KHARTOUM 00000928  004 OF 004 
 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶15. (U) Until the issue of security is adequately addressed by the 
GNU, insecurity in North Darfur will limit both humanitarian efforts 
and the return of IDPs to their homes. 
 
WHITEHEAD