Darfur: NGO Forum Addresses Security Issues

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001969 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV AU UN SU SUBJECT: Darfur: NGO Forum Addresses Security Issues REF: Khartoum 01912 ¶1. Summary: NGOs discussed the worsening security environment and decreasing humanitarian access in Darfur during an August 10 NGO forum in Khartoum. Key points raised were strong USG support for the DPA and condemnation of violence, the fact that security conditions had made it difficult for NGOs to carry out their operations, that the Voluntary and Humanitarian Act restricted civil society development and NGO activities, that security violations continued to increase - with eight humanitarian workers killed in July alone - more than in the two previous years combined, and that humanitarian access is at its lowest point in the past three years, with humanitarian indicators in danger of reversal. Furthermore, the inability of AMIS to provide basic protection has stirred interest in transitioning to a UN peacekeeping operation. End Summary. -------------- NGO Forum Raises Security, Humanitarian Access Issues -------------- ¶2. On August 10, an NGO forum in Khartoum dealt with concerns of NGOs operating in Darfur, with an emphasis on the changing security environment and limits to humanitarian access. The Charge presented the position of the USG, reiterating its strong support for the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the need for all groups to fully cooperate with the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). He took the opportunity to distribute the recent Department of State press release condemning violence in Darfur, and stressed the need for all parties to respect international law and for threats to humanitarian workers to decrease in order for them to carry out their vital assistance to the displaced people. The NGOs noted that the strong push for the implementation of the Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) under the current security conditions makes them and their work seem partisan and endangers their staff. -------------- NGO Activities on Operational Minimum Due to Risks -------------- ¶3. The NGOs submitted that their activities were already on an operational minimum providing only life saving support to the displaced people in camps. The ongoing threat to their workers, however, has impacted on their ability to recruit and deploy staff to Darfur and to retain them. Many organizations begin to think about suspending operations in Darfur. One representative noted that headquarters and trustees are reflecting on the question of how many deaths among staff they are willing to accept. Another representative noted that it is no longer a question of what action to take "if" a death occurs, but rather "when" it occurs. -------------- Voluntary Humanitarian Act Restricts Civil Society -------------- ¶4. The NGO Forum stressed the fundamental importance of a vibrant civil society to demand government accountability. The new Voluntary and Humanitarian Act released in March is restrictive to the development of such a civil society. The NGOs have appealed it in the constitutional court, but the Act has not been suspended. The Act heavily impacts on international NGOs' ability to operate in Darfur and even worse in the rest of Sudan, particularly in the East and in the Three Areas. National NGOs are more severely affected. The main message to the international community was the need for a joint effort to reduce violence, adhere to the ceasefire, and respect humanitarian operations. -------------- Post-DPA Darfur Security Incidents -------------- ¶5. The signing of the DPA did not lead to a resolution of security concerns in Darfur; the number of incidents continues at an unacceptable level. A list of reported security incidents since the May 5 signing compiled by the AU details 94 specific security incidents reported in South Darfur, 74 violations in North Darfur, and 70 in West Darfur, and the AU states the list is not comprehensive. (Note: This list was challenged at the Joint Commission meeting on August 3, however, with the Chairman directing the AMIS Force Commander to return to the September Joint Commission meeting with a full investigation of all those reported violations that had not been witnessed by AMIS personnel. End note.) Security concerns are adversely affecting humanitarian work. The number of incidents reported is trending upward over time - relatively few security incidents were reported in May, more incidents were reported in June and still more in July. -------------- Deteriorating Security and Shrinking Humanitarian Access -------------- ¶6. In July 2006, eight humanitarian aid workers were killed in Darfur, more than the total of the past two years combined. In addition to these deaths, hijackings, robberies, and incidents of intimidation have also increased. Aid agencies are in uniform agreement that the situation has significantly deteriorated since the May 5 signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement. In addition, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states access to people in need in Darfur is at its lowest level since the conflict began. More than 45,000 people have been displaced in July alone. Unsubstantiated rumors of government aid workers poisoning water supplies and vaccines have led to outbreaks of violence among IDPs. Aid workers have responded by curtailing KHARTOUM 00001969 002 OF 002 services and hours of operation, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation. Most troubling, improvements in humanitarian indicators made across the past three years are in danger of reversal. -------------- AMIS Struggling to Maintain Control -------------- ¶7. The independence and effectiveness of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) is now seriously in doubt due to AMIS' bungled stewardship of the DPA and almost complete lack of ability to protect civilians in and around IDP camps. AMIS is so unwelcome that it has completely withdrawn from six major IDP camps. Most disturbing, there are reports of a spike in the number of rapes of women venturing outside of IDP camps in search of firewood (reftel). AMIS' inability to conduct adequate firewood patrols has destroyed any credibility the force held in the past. IDPs increasingly demand the transition of AMIS forces to those of the UN, though they undoubtedly harbor unrealistic expectations as to what the UN can do in the near term to increase security. HUME