Sudan - Cattle Rustling, Emerging Government,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001134

SIPDIS

AIDAC
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AF/EA, DCHA
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS
USMISSION UN ROME
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
NAIROBI FOR SFO
NSC FOR JMELINE, TSHORTLEY
USUN FOR TMALY
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KAWC SU
SUBJECT: Sudan - Cattle Rustling, Emerging Government,
and USAID in Eastern Equatoria: USAID visits Budi and
Torit, May 3-8, 2006


--------------
Summary and Comment
--------------


1. From May 3 to 8, 2006, a USAID/DCHA program officer
visited Eastern Equatoria State (EE) to assess
humanitarian conditions in Southern Sudan. The greatest
driver of conflict in EE is cattle rustling and
retaliatory violence between tribes. Though all EE
counties are absorbing returning internally displaced
persons (IDPs) and refugees, officials did not seem to be
concerned about mounting population pressure on local
infrastructure or resources. The USAID program officer
witnessed a nascent government - non-existent just a few
months ago - beginning to grapple with these challenges.
USAID-funded partners are working side by side with these
new officials and communities, and are making a critical
impact in supporting the emerging government, mitigating
conflict, and providing humanitarian assistance to
returnees and the most vulnerable communities. USAID
should maintain its support for peace-building and
reconciliation activities. They are coveted by county
and state officials, and they are reducing levels of
conflict.


2. To sustain recent humanitarian achievements - many of
them attributed to USAID support - EE will rely on
international assistance for years to come. However,
local dependence on USAID and other international donors
should gradually decrease as EE continues down a
seemingly positive and increasingly sustainable path.
End summary and comment.

--------------
Budi County
--------------


3. A County-Level Perspective: Budi County, one of
eighQcounties in EE, is a microcosm of post-peace
Eastern Equatoria. A representative of the Sudan
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Commission (SRRC)
estimated that approximately 2,000 refugees and IDPs have
returned to Budi County alone since the signing of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005.
Budi County has one of the lowest numbers of water
sources per person in Southern Sudan. One negative
impact of the refugee influx may be an increase in
HIV/AIDS. The hospital in Chukudum estimates that 10
percent of blood donors test positive for the disease,
attributing most cases to recent returnees from Uganda
and Kenya.


4. Conflict & Reconciliation: In Budi, cattle owners
circulate with weapons and villagers live in fear of
marauding, rival tribes seeking retribution for stolen
livestock. Hours after USAID's arrival in Chukudum, the
county seat, a woman was killed by a stray bullet in a
vengeance attack on the outskirts of town. USAID
implementing partner Pact has established a peace-
building program to support peace-building activities in
Budi and elsewhere in EE, helping Equatorian officials
and leaders reconcile differences between rival tribes
involved in cattle rustling. USAID met the county
commissioner in southern Budi who was traveling to a
neighboring county for a peace and reconciliation meeting
between the Didenga of Budi and the rival Logir of Ikotos
County. Villagers return home before dusk to avoid the
threat of Logir attacks. Near the county line, a USAID-
funded borehole worksite was guarded by local villagers
with weapons.


5. Current Challenges: According to the SRRC
representative, the biggest problems in Budi County are
food security (the area experienced bad rains in 2003-
2004),poor roads (the 35 kilometers from Chukudum to
Lokutei takes 2.5 hours),and low vocational capacity.
Over the last few months, the first EE state government
officials have arrived in Chukudum, including the county
commissioner (who has a vehicle),a SRRC representative,
and officials from the Government of Southern Sudan

KHARTOUM 00001134 002 OF 003


(GoSS) Departments of Education, Health, Agriculture, and
Veterinary Services. USAID implementing partner
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) informally
mentors the health and water officials who came to Budi
with no prior technical experience. Teachers and health
workers still have not received salaries, causing much
consternation, according to the SRRC representative.

--------------
Torit Town
--------------


6. Emerging Government: In Torit, the EE state capital
and former Government of Sudan (GoS)-controlled garrison
town, the deputy governor told USAID that the main
security problem in the state was cattle rustling and
subsequent retribution attacks by rival tribes. He
listed the greatest needs as road improvements,
increasing access to water, and improving food security
in certain areas. He thanked USAID for its contributions
and said the new county officials were beginning to
tackle tribal disputes through peace conferences and
mediation.


7. Recent Achievements: The UNMIS team leader for EE
supported the governor's contention that rustling
conflict was decreasing, in part because of the new
network of government officials across the state
addressing the issues of their constituents. He has seen
a dramatic difference in the six months since he has been
with the UNMIS unit of 47 members in EE. Aided by
support from the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF),EE
recently distributed its first ever shipment of drugs to
various health facilities across the state. In May, the
state awarded $270,000 to a water drilling company to
drill 27 new boreholes throughout EE, another
achievement. In another promising development, Sudanese
Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA) soldiers have integrated in Torit and now share
the same barracks.

--------------
Humanitarian Situation
--------------


8. With its fledgling government, reduced levels of
conflict, and a small but important network of NGO and UN
humanitarian contributors, EE is a relative bright spot
among the states of Southern Sudan. However, the state
may not seem bright to the casual outside observer.
Humanitarian indicators - such as access to water and
healthcare, food security, and government capacity to
manage social services - are dangerously low. Due to
poor water and sanitation conditions in Torit, the town
has recorded 484 cases of cholera since late February. A
representative of the non-government organization (NGO)
Merlin estimated that there were only 17 latrines in all
of Torit, a town of 28,000 people.

--------------
USAID Response
--------------


9. USAID contributions in EE touch upon many sectors
critical to safeguarding public health and tackling the
state's lack of social services. Since the signing of
the CPA, USAID implementing ADRA has constructed or
rehabilitated 40 water sources and 80 latrines in Budi.
ADRA also supports all 12 county health centers and
carries out a food-security and animal-health program.
In Chukudum, USAID's impact includes new boreholes and
latrines, animal health services, a new school under
construction, and support to the county development
committee.


10. To respond to the cholera outbreak in Torit, USAID
is providing chlorine to treat the town's water supply
and is repairing two water tanks. Other USAID-funded
programs in Torit are providing 100 new beds for the
hospital, cleaning supplies for 150 market vendors,

KHARTOUM 00001134 003 OF 003


supplies and equipment for the governor's office and five
other EE state departments, and desks and chairs for 400
students in Torit's schools.


11. Specific Recommendations:

a) USAID should maintain its support for peace-building
and reconciliation activities. They are coveted by
county and state officials, and they are reducing levels
of conflict;

b) Basic humanitarian support, particularly in the water
and health sectors, must be maintained at current or
slightly reduced levels for another year. However, USAID
must aim to transition or carefully terminate financial
support for certain aspects of its programs in these
sectors as the government builds capacity and other non-
USAID funding streams come online. Within the next 12
months, USAID may be able to cut its funding of drug and
salary support to health facilities, and may be able to
refocus its water program into the most vulnerable
counties with an eye toward minimizing conflict over
access to scarce water resources;

c) USAID's support to EE's government and urban centers
through implementing partner Development Alternatives,
Inc. (DAI) is having a significant physical and
psychological impact, reinforcing expectations that peace
provides dividends. USAID should continue ongoing DAI
quick-impact projects, particularly in decrepit Kapoeta,
the future capital of EE;

d) USAID-funded food distributions should be monitored
carefully in EE with a goal of transitioning to food
support for work, education, and the most vulnerable; and

e) To maximize all international and governmental
humanitarian efforts in EE, USAID should strongly
encourage the United Nations to play a stronger
coordination role in EE by anchoring itself in Torit and
in Kapoeta.

HUME