UN UPDATE: HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL PROCESSES IN DARFUR

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001854 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID UN AU SU SUBJECT: UN UPDATE: HUMANITARIAN AND POLITICAL PROCESSES IN DARFUR ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Briefing the donor community on November 25, UN DSRSG Ameera Haq introduced an agenda that included an update on the Darfur political process and humanitarian access situation, as well a preview of the launch of the UN's 2008 workplan (donors will be invited to a formal presentation in December). The census and the current state of HIV/AIDS awareness in Sudan were also briefly discussed. End summary. -------------- POLITICAL PROCESS: SLOWLY MOVING FORWARD -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Joint Mediation Support Team (JMST) director Jack Christofides said that SPLM efforts currently under way in Juba to facilitate cohesion between some of the rebel movements were moving forward, with two major groups emerging. While "Darfur is full of false dawns," he said, he was optimistic that the groups would agree on a single negotiating position. Similar efforts in Darfur were also taking hold, he said, and he hoped that ultimately the groups in Juba and Darfur would choose a joint negotiating team between them. At present, the talks in Juba were due to conclude on November 29, and movement delegates would then be transported back to Darfur. An outstanding question, however, was whether the government's delegation would be represented by the GNU or solely the NCP when the Sirte peace talks reconvened. ¶3. (SBU) On civil society representation at the talks, Christofides said that its role was still unclear, though civil society representatives present at Sirte had been pleased with their involvement. Responding to a question from CDA on IDP representation, Christofides conceded that this was one of the more difficult issues the JMST was looking at, as IDPs were the group most affected by Abdulwahid Nur's opposition to the talks and the Sudanese Government is also highly suspicious of their participation. Other opposition political parties could also be included with civil society, he added. (Note: This would doubtless incur suspicion on the part of the Sudanese government, who already considers civil society participation in general as a cover for political parties wanting to attend the talks. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) Christofides also confirmed that late last week NISS had blocked a senior JMST team from flying to Umm Rai where they had planned to conduct meetings. The team was ultimately permitted to travel, but he said he feared that the Sudanese government was "changing its attitude" toward cooperating with the UN/AU. -------------- HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Turning to humanitarian operations, the UN's Mike McDonagh said that there was still no word on extending the NGO moratorium, due to expire on January 31, 2008. The government would likely wait until the last moment, he surmised. Heavy fighting between rebels (probably SLA-Unity) and the SAF near Kutum was affecting humanitarian operations in North Darfur, he said. In South Darfur, the Sudanese government had not responded to charges of forced relocations of IDPs from Otash; the government considered these newcomers "illegal" as they had come from Kalma, he said. However, considering that police forces used whips to move people out and conducted the operation in the middle of the night, the UN and IOM deemed the relocations as forced. CDA suggested that during Under-Secretary General John Holmes' upcoming visit he make the point to the government that while the international community wasn't inherently opposed to some rearrangement in Kalma, it must be voluntary. ¶6. (SBU) UNHCR's Craig Sanders briefed on the organization's ongoing dialogue with the government to extend its operations to North and South Darfur. The recent Zoe's Ark scandal had set these discussions back, he said, and HAC Commissioner Hasabo Abdelrahman was pressing UNHCR to come up with a "useful definition of protection" and then present it to the governors of the two states. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The large group donor briefings are a relatively new UN phenomenon, and are set to occur monthly. While we share the UN's assessment that the Sudanese government may wait until the last moment to extend the moratorium on humanitarian access, we have repeatedly urged the government to grant the extension sooner rather than later; we will continue to press this point in the coming weeks. Further reporting on civil society inclusion in reconvened peace talks will follow septel. End comment. FERNANDEZ