DARFUR FOOD ASSISTANCE UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000951 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 ABUJA PLEASE PASS C. HUME E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KAWC SU SUBJECT: DARFUR FOOD ASSISTANCE UPDATE Ref: Khartoum 0939 KHARTOUM 00000951 001.2 OF 002 -------------- Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. From April 11 to 13, 2006, a USAID team visited Nyala, Gereida, and El Fasher to evaluate food assistance programming in South and North Darfur. Ref A provides details on the humanitarian situation in Gereida, including updated information on food assistance activities. ¶2. Inadequate international response to the U.N. World Food Program's (WFP) Emergency Operation (EMOP) for Sudan has resulted in a critical food pipeline shortfall that will soon impact all food assistance programming in Sudan. WFP/Sudan has 130,000 metric tons (MT) of food commodities remaining in its pipeline for Darfur and plans to distribute just 25,000 MT of food per month in the region through August 2006, a 50 percent reduction from previous levels. The reduced ration will yield only 1050 kilocalories (Kcal) per beneficiary per day. WFP's proposed ration cuts will significantly constrain the agency's food assistance activities during the annual hunger season. With no food held in reserve, additional pipeline shortfalls may force WFP to further reduce distributions in order to respond to additional displacements, escalating emergency conditions, or increased malnutrition rates in other localities. End summary and comment. -------------- -------------- WFP - Insufficient Funding Constrains Food Assistance -------------- -------------- ¶3. As of April 11, 2006, the WFP EMOP for Sudan has received USD 214 million, representing only 29 percent of WFP's total funding requirements. The USG contribution of USD 188 million represents 25.3 percent of the EMOP request. ¶4. The slow donor response to WFP's EMOP has delayed WFP efforts to pre-position food stocks prior to the onset of seasonal rains in June. As a result, WFP plans to halve rations of cereals, pulses, sugar, and salt to beneficiaries living in both internally displaced person (IDP) camps and rural areas throughout Sudan. Even with halving of the rations, WFP's food pipeline will be completely exhausted in September, absent new commitments from donors. ¶5. As of April 2006, WFP has 70,000 MT of food commodities in Darfur, including 40,000 MT of pre- positioned food stocks. However, no additional food commodities are expected to arrive in Darfur before the start of the upcoming rainy season. WFP is in the process of adjusting its food distribution plan to use existing stocks to support the maximum number of beneficiaries possible at the reduced ration level. ¶6. In response to the critical funding shortfall, WFP/Khartoum consulted with field offices and implementing partners to formulate five options for adjusting food distributions throughout Sudan. Proposed options varied in the percent reduction of current rations by food commodity and the method by which ration cuts would be applied to camp and non-camp populations. At a meeting convened in Khartoum on April 18, WFP proposed an across-the-board ration cut under which IDPs and rural villagers would receive cereals, oil, and CSB at 50 percent of the current ration and pulses, sugar, and salt at 25 percent. WFP also plans to eliminate ongoing food-for-education, food-for-work/assets, and food-for-training programs. However, WFP will maintain supplementary feeding rations and set aside sufficient food stocks to accommodate the increasing demand on nutritional safety nets that may follow the implementation of widespread ration reductions. ¶7. The rationale given for an across-the-board ration KHARTOUM 00000951 002.2 OF 002 cut was not based on a nutritional or livelihoods analysis of Darfur communities. WFP did not want to implement cuts that could be interpreted by communities as favoring one ethnic group over another, or that might attract additional populations into IDP camps. Additionally, WFP determined that an across-the-board ration reduction would be easier to implement than a plan which varied rations for different areas and populations. The non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing partners attending the meeting accepted this logic, but expressed concern that less tonnage moving through the pipeline would reduce NGO access to land-side transport, storage, and handling funds needed to support their logistics and personnel infrastructure. WFP noted that declines in donor funding for non-food programs that share costs with food programs have forced NGOs to rely on WFP for up to 80 percent of the overhead expenses needed to administer food distribution programs in the field. -------------- Food Situation in North and South Darfur -------------- ¶8. In March, WFP implementing partners distributed 14,000 MT of food in South Darfur. April food distributions will likely total 17,000 MT. Food distributions will be reduced to 10,000 MT beginning in May. In North Darfur, the March distribution of 12,000 MT will be reduced to 9,000 MT beginning in May. ¶9. WFP's revised food pipeline for Darfur totals 130,000 MT of food commodities through August 2006, 80 percent of which are cereals (Note: According to WFP, cereals constitute 70 percent of a normal food pipeline. End Note.) WFP has allocated 25,000 MT of food commodities per month for Darfur for the next four months: 10,000 MT for South Darfur, 6,000 MT for West Darfur, and 9,000 MT for North Darfur. A decrease in the planned monthly food assistance from approximately 50,000 MT at the peak food distribution level in August and September 2005 to the anticipated level of 25,000 MT necessitates a 50 percent reduction in ration sizes and a corresponding reduction in caloric value from approximately 2,100 Kcal to 1,050 Kcal. The food pipeline shortfall in Darfur will also restrict WPF's ability to provide food assistance to rural populations and drought-affected groups not served through existing distribution programs. STEINFELD