VZCZCXRO4841
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0957/01 2300441
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180441Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4281
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0115
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0352
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0166
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000957 
 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS 
NEW YORK FOR DMERCADO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM KPKO AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: IOM STILL UNABLE TO WORK IN DARFUR; PLANNING FOR RETURNS 
NEEDED 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 927 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  During the week of August 10, USAID Mission 
Director and staff met with the heads of the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office for the 
Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) to discuss potential 
returns in Darfur, IOM's role in verifying returns, the changing 
landscape of Darfur and the impact of potential returns.  Both IOM 
and OCHA noted ongoing concerns with insecurity, the complicated 
nature of potential returns, and the importance of maintaining IOM 
independence and implementing the organization's mandate to conduct 
verification of returns.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Despite Mandate, Expertise, IOM Barred in Darfur 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (U) On August 11, USAID Mission Director and USAID staff met with 
Mario Tavolaj, Special Envoy to Sudan for the IOM Director General, 
to discuss the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 
Sudan, particularly Darfur.  Tavolaj, who has worked in Sudan for 
five years, provided an overview of IOM programs in Sudan and 
background information on IOM's role in providing IDP support and 
verifying returns. 
 
¶3. (U) In 2004, IOM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the 
Sudanese government and the UN that established the standards for 
protection monitoring of IDP movements as well as IOM's 
responsibilities to provide support for the protection of returning 
IDPs in North and South Darfur.  Currently, IOM implements the 
protection monitoring activities through its Verification and 
Monitoring Unit which operates in North and South Darfur.  In 
addition, IOM carries out protection monitoring activities in North 
and South Darfur through field missions to assess the voluntariness 
and appropriateness of returns and relocations, either pre-movement 
or post-movement.  IOM also conducts return monitoring, humanitarian 
assessments, contextual analysis, general protection monitoring, and 
other humanitarian missions. 
 
¶4. (SBU) However, Mr. Tavolaj said, Sudanese officials have 
prohibited IOM from accessing South Darfur since February 15, 2009. 
The GNU has not provided any official communication citing reasons 
for the prohibition.  Since February, IOM staff have met with 
federal, state, and local officials to attempt to resolve the 
situation, and have received messages of assurance and appreciation 
for IOM's mission.  However, Mr. Tavolaj said, the organization 
remains barred. 
 
¶5. (U) IOM has the expertise and mandate to verify that returns in 
North and South Darfur are voluntary and appropriate according to 
international norms, including the UN Guiding Principles for 
Internal Displacement.  According to Mr. Tavolaj, the approach for 
verifying IDP returns has to be different in Darfur than in many 
other countries because the IDPs have been in camps for four to six 
years, not a year or less, which is typical elsewhere.  As a result, 
Mr. Tavolaj said, rural camps may have to be handled differently 
from the urban camps, which are now virtually a part of the cities 
to which they are adjacent.  The IOM provides assistance based on 
individual need rather than status as an IDP, returnee, or 
host-community member. 
 
------------------------ 
IDPS OUTNUMBER RETURNEES 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (U) IOM maintains a database of more than 2.8 million individuals 
in the camps in Darfur, including IDP and non-IDP individuals.  Mr. 
Tavolaj said the IOM estimates that, of that number, there are, 
currently, approximately 2 million IDPs.  This IOM estimate is 
significantly lower than UN estimates, which range from between 2.5 
and 2.8 million IDPs.  In 2009, IOM has not recorded increased 
returns compared to 2008.  As in 2008, recorded incidents of primary 
and secondary displacement outnumber returns, in North and South 
Darfur.  (NOTE:  According to the UN Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some IDPs have experienced up to three 
displacements, all from different locations, which further 
 
KHARTOUM 00000957  002 OF 002 
 
 
complicates returns.  END NOTE.)   According to IOM, insecurity 
continues to impact the pattern of returns.  Of the 27,742 returnees 
interviewed in 2008, almost all cited insecurity as their reason for 
initial displacement. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Security, Services Influence Returns 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (U) Mr. Tavolaj reported that some IDPs are unwilling to leave 
camps over fear of losing existing humanitarian services, including 
food aid and potential compensation from a comprehensive agreement. 
Following signing of a comprehensive peace agreement, 40 to 60 
percent of the IDP population of a camp may decline to return to 
areas of origin, he warned. 
 
¶8. (U) In a subsequent meeting between USAID staff and Gloria 
Fernandez, the newly appointed Head of OCHA, Ms. Fernandez 
underscored that a typical pattern for internal displacement 
includes IDPs maintaining places both inside a camp and in an area 
of origin, keeping the camps as the fallback option.  Fernandez 
noted that this is particularly true for long-term IDPs who have 
been displaced for several years.  There is a widespread belief 
among the humanitarian and donor communities that the IDPs' 
situation is unlikely to return to what it was before their initial 
displacement. 
 
------------------------------ 
Planning for Returns Important 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) IOM is not presently conducting planning for IDP returns 
under a peace scenario.  Mr. Tavolaj said that such planning is 
needed, and IOM is currently working with the UN Humanitarian 
Country Team to update the UN Framework for Returns in Darfur.  In 
addition, OCHA's Fernandez reported that the UN is planning two 
sessions in the next few weeks, including one to review the 
Government of National Unity (GNU) Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) 
proposal to establish a joint verification mechanism (Reftel). 
Tavolaj noted that IOM can participate in joint assessments; 
however, IOM's experience regarding verification of voluntary 
returns to date has yielded few positive results.  OCHA also plans 
to examine assistance approaches and return conditions.  In 
particular, OCHA will consider how the UN can participate in a joint 
mechanism and still maintain international standards and principles. 
 The second UN meeting will be a planning exercise to address 
assistance for potential returns. 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT.  The issue of returnees and verification of the 
voluntary nature of returnees is increasingly important due to the 
GNU HAC-led programs to encourage IDPs to leave camps, including 
construction of dozens of so-called "model villages" funded by the 
Arab League.  The international community, led by the UN and IOM, 
must recognize the need to have quick response mechanisms to support 
voluntary returnees, either as returns occur spontaneously, or 
through a broader comprehensive peace agreement, all the while 
remaining within the context of internationally accepted principles 
for IDPs. 
 
¶11. (U) The recent results of several joint assessments conducted by 
between UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the 
Sudanese government, including the February 2009 yet-to-be released 
South Darfur Post-Harvest Assessment and the diluted post-March 4 
humanitarian gap assessments underscore the importance of 
independent international monitoring and verification work.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
WHITEHEAD