SUDAN - IRC CEASES HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000607 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS SENSITIVE 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 - IRC CEASES HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN HAMESH KOREIB ENCLAVE, EASTERN SUDAN ¶1. (SBU) The IRC has decided to end cross-border operations from Eritrea serving the eastern enclave of Hamesh Koreib following government and UN-OCHA pressure. Samaritan's Purse, however, continues to work in the area. The SPLM is scheduled to depart Hamesh Koreib over the next three months, potentially leaving a humanitarian relief void and raising tensions. High-level UN attention is needed to address rising concerns. End summary. -------------- -------------- IRC Ceases Cross-Border Services to Hamesh Koreib -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) USAID-funded partner International Rescue Committee (IRC) has decided to cease cross-border humanitarian activities from Eritrea into the SPLM- controlled Hamesh Koreib enclave of eastern Sudan. The decision was made on March 2 following the receipt of a letter from the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) questioning why a polio vaccination team had entered Hamesh Koreib town via Eritrea. (Note: the town of Hamesh Koreib is occupied, since January 11 by SAF supported Popular Defense Forces, the SPLA, as well as UNMIS military observers. The arrival of the IRC/Eritrea team was not coordinated with IRC/Sudan. End note.) In addition to the letter received from the HAC, the NGO has been pressured by UN-OCHA to cease activities because the presence of the NGOs in the enclave made it "difficult to negotiate with the HAC" on access to the enclave from Kassala. IRC was told by the UN that the HAC might "take action" against IRC programs elsewhere in the country (i.e., Darfur) if the assistance program were not stopped in Hamesh Koreib. In addition to Darfur, IRC also operates relief programs in Kassala, Red Sea, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Khartoum States as well as throughout Southern Sudan. -------------- Beja Congress Raises Complaint, Blames GNU -------------- ¶3. (U) The news of this action was carried somewhat erroneously in the Sudan Tribune on-line news bulletins of March 6 and in a headline story in the Khartoum Monitor on the same day. The articles stated the "the government ordered" the U.S. aid agencies out of the enclave. In the article, the Beja Congress responded, stating this is an attempt to "make the lives of our people even more miserable and much more difficult...we know definitely the result of this action will be even more deaths for our children and women from food shortages and health care." -------------- -------------- Samaritan's Purse Still Operating, but Under Pressure -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In addition to IRC, USAID partner Samaritan's Purse (SPIR) operates life-saving humanitarian programs in the enclave and is under pressure also from the UN to cease operations while the UN attempts to negotiate access to Kassala for SPIR with the HAC. The NGO has not received any correspondence from the HAC, similar to IRC's, at least as of March 6, and has not withdrawn officially from the enclave. SPIR does not operate in other areas of eastern Sudan, although it has been waiting for months for permission to travel to Kassala and Port Sudan so as to shift eventually the base of operations for the Hamesh Koreib area from Eritrea to Kassala in conformity with the CPA- mandated handover of the enclave to the GNU. (Note: the SPIR program includes a food pipeline of 11,000 MT that would be sent to Port Sudan instead of Massawa, Eritrea, under the new program configuration. End note.) -------------- SPLM Departure from Hamesh Koreib on Horizon -------------- KHARTOUM 00000607 002 OF 002 ¶5. (SBU) Withdrawal of SPLA troops from Hamesh Koreib is slated to begin in March and culminate on May 10, 2006, when the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) will take possession formally of the territory. At that point, all humanitarian programs operating in the enclave would operate from Kassala under the umbrella of the GNU and its ministries. USAID is working with the partners on funding that will accommodate these adjustments. In the meantime, the UN has been negotiating with the HAC to obtain permission for SPIR to travel to Kassala to begin the planning for this transition. UN-OCHA is skeptical that the HAC will give permission as long as SPIR is working cross-border from Eritrea. IRC already has offices in Kassala. -------------- Possibility of Humanitarian Shortfall Looms -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Until the handover, the issue of providing assistance to Hamesh Koreib must be resolved. Absent an agreement among the government, Eastern Front, and SPLM/GoSS that clarifies modalities of access and guarantees the safety and security of the humanitarian groups, USAID-funded partners (the only NGOs operating in the enclave) will have no choice but to consider continuing assistance from Eritrea. The other option, to stop all humanitarian action from Eritrea from now until May 10, without any guarantee of access from either the government or the Eastern Front from Kassala, will contribute to a further decline in humanitarian indicators in the area and punish innocent civilians by depriving them of access to food and health care. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) It is worth noting that in Darfur, humanitarian access to rebel areas has been permitted, with some hiccups, throughout the crisis. The government was very worried in 2004 that the international community would start another "Lifeline Sudan" in Darfur and thus was accommodating in its treatment of humanitarian requests to serve rebel areas from government-held cities. This model could be looked to for an arrangement with the Eastern Front until May 10. In order to achieve such an agreement, the UN needs to assign a high-level diplomat to work on these issues on a near continuous basis; post will encourage such to take place. The UN also needs to be transparent with donors, such as the U.S., which is the only donor in the enclave and the one most concerned with the implications of any pressure on IRC and SPIR. WHITAKER