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


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Summary and Comment
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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.

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WFP - Insufficient Funding Constrains Food Assistance
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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.

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Food Situation in North and South Darfur
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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