GNU, UN, AND DONOR JOINT VISIT TO NYALA TO ASSESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000669 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/SPG, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2016 TAGS: PHUM KWMN PGOV PREL SU SUBJECT: GNU, UN, AND DONOR JOINT VISIT TO NYALA TO ASSESS STATUS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Classified By: PolChief Eric Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: From March 6-8, Poloff traveled to Nyala, Darfur, with the Government of National Unity (GNU) representative for Violence Against Women, Dr. Attiyat Mustafa, and UNMIS Human Rights Chair (UNMIS-HR) Ravindrian Daniel to assess the South Darfur State Committee to Combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV). UNMIS-HR concluded that progress was &disappointing,8 noting the Committee's lack of implementation of the agreed Plan of Action. To re-invigorate the process, the UN and Dr. Attiyat proposed immediate concrete steps for the State Committee to implement, to which the Committee agreed. The European Commission, African Union, and the Embassy of the Netherlands also participated in the assessment. The joint mission spoke with internally displaced persons (IDP) women and the African Union Commander in Kalma Camp, met with the GBV State Committee, including the Minister of Health, and attended briefings by UNMIS-HR and the United Nations Food and Population Agency (UNFPA). End Summary. -------------- UN Brief -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The head of UNMIS-HR in South Darfur, Charles Kirudja, briefed on the progress of the South Darfur State Committee, highlighting that on July 20, 2005, UN SRSG Representative Jan Pronk decided that UNMIS should chair the State Committee with the GNU jointly. Kirudja stressed to the GBV State Committee, that although the UN was joint chair, it was the government's responsibility to implement the Plan of Action. He added that violence and insecurity continued for women and children, and was even worse when it was committed by the authorities. ¶3. (SBU) The representative from UNFPA, Huma Kon, said that the GNU needs to be more active in the field. She argued for close legal monitoring of how cases are handled in the courts, including follow up and documentation of the outcomes. Kon elaborated that about 80 percent of SGBV cases never reach the courts for various reasons, including doctors not returning the victim's Form 8 (legal form necessary to present a case to court),the police not referring cases to prosecutors, a lack of police resources, and the inordinate length of time necessary for police investigations. She highlighted Menawashi town in South Darfur, where there is a very high prevalence of SGBV. She said there are nine policemen working in the town, and they have no resources, such as cars, to investigate GBV cases. -------------- Dr. Attiyat Response -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Dr. Attiyat stated that her new unit focuses on key issues to address violence against women, mainly coordination with Darfur states, other ministries, and civil society. Furthermore, she said the unit needs to research the phenomenon of violence, including receiving data on its prevalence. She added that the unit needs to address the religious aspect of violence, and how to address victims from legal, medical, and social standpoints. -------------- Kalma Camp: &You Do Not Need the UN8 -------------- ¶5. (C) On March 7, the joint assessment team visited IDP women in Kalma Camp. Dr. Attiyat began the session by saying that she wanted to speak with the women about what they needed in Darfur. The women responded that they needed security and protection. They added personal stories of the Janjaweed raping women who were fetching firewood. Dr. Attiyat interrupted the stories by asking what the women meant by &Janjaweed,8 because the term was difficult to define. The woman stated that they knew the &Janjaweed,8 because they were the people causing the trouble. Dr. Attiyat followed by asking whether the incidents had been reported to the police; the women replied &no, no one goes to the police.8 The legal advisor from the Advisory Council for Human Rights, Naser Ahmed, then asked, &Did you see the women being raped,8 the woman replied, &yes.8 Naser again asked, &Did you see it with your own eyes?,8 the women emphatically replied, &yes.8 Dr. Attiyat asked why the cases had not been reported to the police; the women replied that the government does not protect the people and they wanted the UN in Darfur for their own security. ¶6. (C) The Commissioner for Women and Children in South KHARTOUM 00000669 002 OF 003 Darfur, Samia Ali Ahmed, stated that the women should request government assistance before asking for international assistance. She also said it was the government's obligation to provide security, health, and food to its population. The women stated that they did request assistance from the government; however, &how can we expect assistance when the government is perpetrating the crime,8 they asked. In a heated round of exchanges, the debate over the presence of international troops in Darfur continued, with the GNU representatives saying that the government was capable of protecting its people, and the IDP women stating that they had no confidence in it. -------------- African Union in Kalma Camp -------------- ¶7. (C) The joint assessment team visited the African Union Commander in Kalma Camp, Charles Wanjalma, who stated that the area surrounding Kalma camp was insecure. As government-controlled areas surround most of the camp, prohibiting access, the IDP,s have to contend with nomads east of the camp to collect firewood, leaving them vulnerable to attcks. Wanjalma stated that women fetch firewood for three main reasons: to cook, sell in the markets, and make bricks to sell in Nyala town. Dr. Attiyat suggested that the government provide firewood to the women to stop them from going to the forests. -------------- The State GBV Immediate Plan of Action -------------- ¶8. (C) The Minister of Health, Dr. Abdel-Sharif Latif, convened the State Committee for GBV to introduce Dr. Attiyat Mustafa as the focal person in Khartoum for Gender-Based Violence. Dr. Attiyat, at the urging of UNMIS-HR Chair Ravindrian Daniel, presented an interim Plan of Action for the State Committee to monitor the registration and prosecution of rape cases, ensure compliance on Amended Circular 2 (law that states victims could receive medical treatment without Form 8),and create a safe environment for women to seek assistance through the authorities. UNMIS-HR developed this interim Plan of Action; regrettably, the UN presented it to Dr. Attiyat only one hour before she presented it to the GBV Committee. ¶9. (SBU) The interim Plan of Action mandates bi-monthly visits by a working group comprised of policewomen, the prosecutor, and human rights organizations. Under its terms, the working group will register cases of GBV victims that came forward to file complaints. After three months, the working group will submit a report to the members of the Committee on the number of cases filed and problems, if any, faced in receiving complaints. The plan stipulates that the prosecutor's office will submit a report to the Committee regarding the number of cases processed for the court and reasons, if any, for the non-prosecution of cases. The plan mandates monthly information dissemination visits by the police, health ministry officials, UNMIS-HR, and UNFPA to at least three police stations outside Nyala. According to the plan, there will be monthly reports on non-compliance with Amended Circular 2 submitted to the GBV Committee and planned visits to clinics to ensure compliance. The plan stipulates that over the next six months the police will create a space for confidential interviewing of GBV survivors in at least four police stations. The GBV State Committee agreed to accept and act on the terms of the interim Plan of Action. ¶10. (SBU) The GBV State Committee updated the delegation on its progress to date, with the Prosecutor General highlighting that in 2005 there were 33 rape cases presented to the courts in South Darfur; of these, 15 are currently in the courts and others have been dismissed. He also said that the police had investigated over 27 cases of rape in 2005. The Prosecutor General added that he was ready to implement the six-month working plan and improve his office's work in the field. The police representative, Mahmoud Suleyman, said that there were policewomen stationed in the camps. Poloff pointed out that, according to the AU Civilian Policewomen and Poloff,s recent visits to the IDP camps, there were no women stationed in the camps. Suleyman refuted the AU,s claim; however, he added that there were not enough women and said he was trying to recruit more female officers. ¶11. (SBU) Comment: The interim plan presents low cost, concrete steps for the South Darfur Committee to demonstrate its commitment to ending violence against women. Post will continue to monitor the implementation of the interim Plan of Action for South Darfur State with visits to the field and KHARTOUM 00000669 003 OF 003 meetings with relevant actors. HUME