Impact of Sudanese Travel Restriction on USG

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002382 SIPDIS STATE PASS TO USAID STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/EX, AF/SPG SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS OTRA EAID ADPM US SU SUBJECT: Impact of Sudanese Travel Restriction on USG Operations in Sudan ¶1. SUMMARY: The September 24 decision of President Bashir to restrict all travel by official visitors to 25 kilometers from Khartoum will have a severe impact on USG operations. The impact will be immediate. Should this restriction be continued, Embassy Khartoum will have to adjust staffing patterns and consider curtailing some programs and operations. END SUMMARY. ¶2. The U.S. mission in Khartoum operates with 43 U.S. resident staff and approximately 40 TDY personnel at any given time. The travel restriction does not apply to resident staff, but it does apply to all TDY personnel, including those who fill permanent positions on a rotational basis. While this restriction will have only a marginal impact on operations in Khartoum, it will hamper operations in Juba and cripple operations in Darfur. ¶3. USAID will be the agency that will feel the greatest negative impact. USAID currently has only three resident staff in country, but often as many as 20 TDY personnel. There are now five TDY staff assigned to USAID operations in Darfur, nine assigned to support USAID in Khartoum, and ten in Juba. If these restrictions continue, no departing TDY personnel in either Darfur or Juba could be replaced by TDY personnel. At risk is USAID's ability to monitor humanitarian and development programs currently funded at approximately $800 million. ¶4. The restrictions would prevent further support by DOD personnel for the peacekeeping operation in Darfur. Currently three officers are in Darfur in TDY status, and their scheduled replacements have neither visas nor travel permits for Darfur. ¶5. During the last three months, S/CRS has staffed mission operations in El Fasher with three TDY personnel, who have regularly traveled between Khartoum and El Fasher. These restrictions will prohibit any travel to Darfur by the two officers assigned to replace them. ¶6. Most State Department operations outside of Khartoum are conducted by resident staff, but some functions are performed by TDY personnel. For example, the Refugee Affairs Coordinator from Embassy Addis Ababa travels to several locations in Sudan. Also, post receives regional assistance from Cairo and Nairobi for medical services and facilities management. ¶7. Embassy Khartoum is preparing a response plan that will result in an increase in resident staff in Khartoum and in some shifting of responsibilities. First, several of the functions now performed by USAID TDY personnel will be shifted to newly created NSDD-38 positions, but implementing this change will require personnel to be assigned to Khartoum. Second, to a limited extent we can shift work by changing assignments internally; for example, using S/CRS TDY staff in Khartoum and deploying a political officer assigned to Khartoum to work in Darfur. In the event these restrictions continue for a lengthy period, we will have to review our ability to manage programs within these restrictions and perhaps recommend curtailing some programs and operations. ¶8. On September 27 MFA Under Secretary Mutriff Siddig told Charge Hume that although he appreciated the Embassy's related diplomatic note, he could not take immediate action to drop this restriction. ¶9. Furthermore, in granting country clearance requests Embassy Khartoum will explicitly inform all official travelers of this new restriction, which may in some cases nullify the purpose for the official travel. HUME