DARFUR - ADMINISTRATOR FORE SITE VISIT TO EL FASHER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001853 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF A/S FRAZIER, AF/SPG, S/E NATSIOS, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR FORE, BFEINSTEIN, AA/AFR KALMQUIST, DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/SFO, USAID/REDSO GENEVA FOR NKYLOH NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND BPITTMAN ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU USUN FOR TMALY BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI UN SU SUBJECT: DARFUR - ADMINISTRATOR FORE SITE VISIT TO EL FASHER KHARTOUM 00001853 001.2 OF 003 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) On November 22, the USAID Administrator and Director of Foreign Assistance Henrietta H. Fore, Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. Fernandez, Assistant Administrator for USAID's Africa Bureau (AA/AFR) Kate Almquist, and the Mission Director for USAID/Sudan traveled to El Fasher, North Darfur, to review the current humanitarian situation. The delegation met with Deputy Governor for North Darfur State, representatives from UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),and the Deputy Joint Special Representative (JSR) for the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Henry Anyidoho. The delegation also visited two USAID-funded humanitarian projects in As Salaam internally displaced person (IDP) camp and the UN World Food Program (WFP) food aid warehousing complex. Administrator Fore emphasized USG commitment to supporting the humanitarian response in Darfur and working to find lasting solutions to end the four-year conflict. End Summary. ¶2. (U) In a November 22 meeting, Administrator Fore told the Deputy Governor that she had come to El Fasher at the request of the President whose concern is peace in Darfur. The Administrator expressed that USAID's primary purpose in Darfur is to provide humanitarian assistance. The Administrator stressed the importance of IDPs being allowed to choose when and where to return to their areas of origin. In addition, the Administrator said that the USG is interested in UNAMID's success and is closely monitoring that the deployment is handled well. The AA/AFR stated that Sudan is USAID's largest program in Africa and that USAID is here to support the humanitarian needs in Darfur, but also to work on reconstruction and development. AA/AFR Almquist said that it was possible for USAID to have a large development program in Southern Sudan and the Three Areas because of peace. The AA/AFR stated that USAID looks forward to the day when fighting stops in Darfur and people can return home. The Administrator and CDA raised the USG's concern over indications that the Sudanese government is preparing to forcibly disarm IDPs in Kalma camp, South Darfur. The CDA urged government officials at the regional and national levels to show restraint and not undertake any operations that would result in more civilian death. -------------- Concerns of the Humanitarian Agencies -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to the UN Department of Safety and Security, four factors are increasing insecurity throughout Darfur: fragmentation of armed opposition groups; Arab militias fighting against Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF); interethnic tensions; and the potential rise of terrorist activity, specifically the threat of an Al-Qa'ida inspired attack on UNAMID in West Darfur. In Darfur, fighting and insecurity continues to dictate where and when relief agencies can provide assistance. According to the aid agencies, the increased insecurity and banditry are major impediments to helping vulnerable populations. The fragmentation of the armed opposition groups has increased difficulties in negotiating access to areas. These factors are limiting humanitarian presence in rural areas, resulting in a heavy dependence on helicopter transport, and diminishing the ability of organizations to monitor assistance programs. ¶4. (U) The relief agencies briefed Administrator Fore on the current challenges facing the humanitarian operation in Darfur. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) representative reported that there are 40,000 new IDPs in North Darfur this year, yet requests to the Sudanese government for additional land to establish a new IDP camp in El Fasher were "flatly rejected." The humanitarian agencies continue to negotiate with the authorities to expand Zam Zam IDP camp, located south of El Fasher town. Both Abu Shouk and As Salaam camps have reached maximum capacity and are now closed to new arrivals. The group also expressed that it was difficult to find organizations willing to act as camp coordinators due to the pressure and harassment that camp coordinators receive from the Sudanese government. (Note: USAID continues to press the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to quickly assume responsibility for camp coordination throughout Darfur. Since early 2007, the Sudanese government has impeded UNHCR's plans to expand operations from West to North and South Darfur. End Note.) KHARTOUM 00001853 002.2 OF 003 ¶5. (U) The humanitarian agencies also reported that North Darfur State authorities have recently begun to push for returns, particularly after Government of National Unity President Bashir's public statements encouraging returns. The organizations reiterated that IDPs are not permanently returning home and that only seasonal migration has been observed by the aid agencies. OCHA stated that the clear trend is additional displacement, not returns. ¶6. (U) The relief organizations told Administrator Fore that the situation has improved somewhat since the signing of the Joint Communique on the facilitation of humanitarian activities in Darfur, but that bureaucratic impediments continue to delay service delivery. The International Rescue Committee reported that even when staff members have all the proper paperwork in order, the local Sudanese government still restricts staff movement on an individual basis. The humanitarian agencies reiterated the need to extend the moratorium on restrictions of NGO operations in Darfur, which is set to expire at the end of January, in order to avoid delays in renewal of visas and permits. -------------- -------------- Site Visit to As Salaam IDP Camp and WFP Warehouse -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) Administrator Fore and delegation visited two USAID projects at As Salaam IDP camp, where 49,000 IDPs reside. Administrator Fore visited a USAID-funded health clinic that serves approximately 130 patients per day. Services available in the primary health care facility include maternal health, immunization and vaccinations, provision of medicine, and out-patient treatment. The health facility is open 24 hours a day and has two doctors and four medical assistants on staff. ¶8. (U) The second project visited in As Salaam IDP camp was a women and youth center. In addition to providing emergency relief services, USAID programs in As Salaam camp assist IDPs in developing livelihood skills, which they will be able to take with them when the time is right for IDPs to return home. At the women's center, IDP women learn transferable skills such as sewing, baking, and weaving, among others. At the youth center, CHF staff engage the youth in education and vocational training to provide them with constructive daytime activities. ¶9. (U) Administrator Fore visited the WFP complex that is the primary facility for storing the food aid that is distributed throughout North Darfur by NGO partners. At maximum capacity, the complex can store 29,000 metric tons of food, equivalent to 2.5 to 3 months of North Darfur's food requirements. Sudan is WFP's largest operation in the world, primarily due to the size of the Darfur operation, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the food aid distributed countrywide. Through the Title II program, USAID provides sorghum, pulses, vegetable oil, and until recently, corn-soya blend (CSB) as the main components of the general food ration distributed in Darfur. -------------- UNAMID -------------- ¶10. (SBU) In a meeting at UNAMID, the Deputy JSR General Anyidoho welcomed Administrator Fore and her delegation to the recently inaugurated UNAMID El Fasher Headquarters. The Deputy JSR for UNAMID sought to assure Administrator Fore that despite technical obstacles and high expectations, his office was doing all it could to ensure that UNAMID had something to show for itself by the December 31 Transfer of Authority (TOA). Administrator Fore encouraged the Deputy JSR to push ahead with strengthening capacity and building the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain UNAMID. ¶11. (SBU) Anyidoho assured Administrator Fore that "we are doing the best we can" to front-load UNAMID deployment by December 31 TOA, but that outstanding obstacles were impeding real progress. UNMIS Head of Office flagged bureaucratic delays with importing equipment - particularly vehicles and VSATs - at the El Fasher Airport as problematic. Anyidoho stressed that JSR Rodolphe Adada was personally engaged on these issues (NOTE: Adada arrived in El Fasher for the day on November 22 but then promptly returned to Khartoum, as his El Fasher residence is not yet complete. 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