VZCZCXRO6037
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #1229/01 3061022
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021022Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4671
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001229 
 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS 
NEW YORK FOR DMERCADO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SMIG UN SU
SUBJECT:  USAID Acting Administrator's  Meeting with Humanitarian 
Agencies in Nyala, South Darfur 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 1215 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On October 25, USAID Acting Administrator Alonzo 
Fulgham, Acting Assistant Administrator for USAID's Bureau for 
Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/DCHA) Susan 
Reichle, and USAID Senior Policy Advisor Steven Pierce met with the 
South Darfur Area Humanitarian Country Team (ACHT) in Nyala, South 
Darfur, as part of an October 24 to 27 visit to Sudan.  The 
delegation was accompanied by USAID Mission Director William Hammink 
and USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) 
Acting Country Representative Kate Farnsworth.  The ACHT raised 
significant concerns regarding insecurity and disposition of 
expelled non-governmental organizations' (NGO) assets, both of which 
significantly affect program implementation.  End summary. 
 
----------------- 
SOUTH DARFUR AHCT 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  During a day visit to Nyala, South Darfur, Acting Administrator 
Alonzo Fulgham and delegation met with the South Darfur AHCT.  The 
latter is a field-level organization mirroring the the Khartoum UN 
Country Team and comprised of representatives from UN agencies and 
NGOs. The AHCT, on behalf of the wider assistance community, meets 
regularly to deal with issues affecting South Darfur humanitarian 
operations.  In an unstructured question and answer format that 
served as an excellent wrap-up session for the Acting Administrator 
on humanitarian issues in northern Sudan, NGO and UN representatives 
conveyed their concerns regarding issues of security, access, 
returns, and funding. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
INSECURITY PERSISTS, LIMITS RURAL REACH 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The UN Acting Security Coordinator, currently the UN World 
Food Program (WFP) Officer-in-Charge, opened the meeting by 
describing the highly insecure operating environment for 
humanitarian workers. According to the security coordinator, 
kidnapping threats, actual kidnappings, and carjackings all serve to 
intimidate the humanitarian community and result in relief workers 
limiting movements outside the main capitals in Darfur. 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to the UN, the number of carjackings remains 
disturbing - three in the recent week, WFP stated, but the number is 
less than before March 2009. However, reporting on raw numbers is 
misleading, observed one veteran NGO director, for two primary 
reasons.  First, in March 2009, the Government of Sudan (GOS) 
confiscated hundreds of 4-wheel drive vehicles belonging to NGOs, 
reducing the number of "lootable" vehicles in circulation.  Second, 
remaining NGOs further reduced the number of 4-wheel drive vehicles 
in circulation by parking them and using small cars and minibuses, 
which are less attractive to carjackers. 
 
¶5. (SBU) With road travel virtually at a standstill due to the lack 
of operational vehicles, NGOs are relying on UN Humanitarian Air 
Service (UNHAS) helicopter flights to reach deep field locations for 
short visits.  The inability of NGOs to sustain a presence in deep 
field locations has a direct impact on the organizations' ability to 
do the assessments required to design rural programs.  This lack of 
a sustained presence also limits an understanding of the returns 
process, including associated water rights, land ownership, and 
access. 
 
---------------------- 
"RETURNS" VERIFICATION 
---------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
representative noted that after seven months of being denied travel 
to South Darfur, the State authorities had finally accepted IOM's 
presence in South Darfur.  IOM reported that cooperation with the 
South Darfur Humanitarian Aid Commission is excellent, and IOM has 
already been requested to verify up to 95 sites where returnees are 
present.  However, in a visit to one of the GOS-identified "returns" 
sites, the IOM team discovered a village that had been untouched by 
the conflict, with no IDPs either coming or going from the village. 
IOM remains optimistic about their current role and is moving 
forward to assess other sites. 
 
------------------------- 
ASSETS REMAIN CONFISCATED 
 
KHARTOUM 00001229  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) NGOs highlighted a number of other issues during the 
meeting.  New affiliate NGO Care International Switzerland (CIS) 
(protect) reported that the organization has received only basic 
assets of the expelled NGO CARE/US contrary to the promise made by 
the GOS in  agreements reached with U.S. Special Envoy (SE) to Sudan 
General Scott Gration. (Note: In other meetings, USAID learned that 
returned basic assets include kitchen equipment, beds, and 
mattresses from the Kass guest house. End note.) The delay in asset 
return is limiting CIS's ability to begin operations in South 
Darfur, operations that have been requested by local authorities and 
funded by USAID/OFDA. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Other issues raised included a request that the U.S. 
continue to support UNHAS's Darfur flight operations as a critical 
life-line for NGOs to access some deep field locations; a note that 
year-to-year funding makes longer-term planning, particularly with 
technical ministries, very difficult; and a call by the UN 
Children's Fund (UNICEF) for USAID to urge its partners to 
participate actively in cluster coordination activities (Note: 
Darfur is the Sudan pilot for the roll out of the UN cluster lead 
formula, an approach that USAID supports, in general, with 
reservations regarding added costs associated with the staffing of 
cluster offices. End note.) 
 
¶9. (U) The USAID delegation cleared this cable prior to their 
departure. 
 
WHITEHEAD