DARFUR - AMIS ENGAGEMENT IN ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES RAISES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000531 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP NAIROBI FOR SFO NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU USUN FOR TMALY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU AU SUBJECT: DARFUR - AMIS ENGAGEMENT IN ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES RAISES SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS KHARTOUM 00000531 001.2 OF 002 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) On March 3, USAID staff attended a tense meeting in Nyala, South Darfur, between the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) Sector 2 leadership, AMIS Civilian Police (AMIS/CIVPOL),and the humanitarian community. Although the aim of the meeting was to improve communication and understanding between AMIS and the humanitarian community on roles and responsibilities, the exchange resulted in increased tensions among the participants and raised several concerns regarding the commitment and priorities of AMIS as a peacekeeping force. Specifically, the humanitarian community expressed concern over AMIS's intention to expand their engagement in Darfur to include assistance activities. This is perceived by many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and U.N. agencies as inappropriate and a diversion from AMIS's primary function to provide security. End summary. -------------- -------------- UNANSWERED QUESTIONS REGARDING SECURITY AND MONITORING -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) During the March 3 meeting held in Nyala between representatives of AMIS, AMIS/CIVPOL, and the humanitarian community, the exchange between participants raised significant concerns among NGOs and U.N. agencies present regarding AMIS's commitment and capacity to fulfill its security and monitoring mandate in Darfur. When asked about the creation and maintenance of buffer and demilitarized zones as assigned to AMIS in the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA),the sector commander replied that AMIS would not compromise troop "safety and security to patrol areas of rampant insecurity." AMIS/CIVPOL provided limited information on how it intended to proceed with the establishment of women's desks in Sudanese government police stations or fulfill its monitoring mandate. During the meeting, AMIS repeatedly emphasized its strict adherence to the language of the AMIS mandate, referencing that the provision of secuQy and monitoring would be conducted by AMIS "within their resources and capabilities." �00A; -------------- -------------- AMIS PROPOSES NEW ENGAGMENT IN ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) At the same time, the AMIS sector commander emphasized the need to liberally interpret the force mandate to conduct assistance activities as a "confidence building" measure to "win the hearts and minds" of the Darfur population. AMIS and PAE discussed specific plans to conduct mobile clinics and distribute water and mosquito nets; however, the activities are not coordinated with other humanitarian actors in theQegion. (Note: USAID reported that AMIS mobile health clinics have targeted Nyala internally displaced person (IDP) camps where established clinics already exist. The lack of clarity surrounding current and future locations of AMIS assistance activities creates the potential for duplication or gaps in assistance coverage. End note.) ¶4. (U) AMIS plans have triggered significant concern within the U.N. and NGO community. International NGOs maintain that AMIS involvement could have a negative impact on the implementation and coordination of assistance activities in Darfur. Humanitarian assistance is outside the scope of AMIS's expertise, and AMIS projects would therefore be unlikely to adhere to humanitarian standards, be accountable to humanitarian principles, or be coordinated with other aid activities. Additionally, international NGOs fear that AMIS involvement in assistance activities would further blur the lines between humanitarian and military activities, as well as lines between humanitarian and political actors due to the perception by many in Darfur of the close association between AMIS and the Sudanese government. ¶5. (U) NGOs and U.N. agencies are concerned that AMIS engagement in assistance projects to win "hearts and minds" would detract from AMIS's primary function as a peacekeeping force. AMIS confronts significant challenges to providing security, as evidenced by inadequately secured humanitarian routes, reduced regular patrols of inaccessible areas, the failure to implement demobilization zones, and inadequate monitoring and reporting on ceasefire violations. Initiating assistance activities would further divert limited AMIS resources from ensuring safe and secure access to underserved populations, as directed under the AMIS mandate and DPA provisions. KHARTOUM 00000531 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (U) The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recently helped hire and place liaison officers based in Nyala and El Fasher, to advise AMIS on humanitarian issues. As the liaison officers arrived in the last few weeks, it is still too early to teQwhether or not this will be an effective mechanism to enhance understanding and address the significant concerns between AMIS and the humanitarian community. In addition, the effectiveness of liaison officers at the field office level is questionable given AMIS claims that it is acting on orders from African Union headquarters. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. If AMIS engagement in assistance activities is viewed as a secondary element rather than a replacement of AMIS's core security mission, AMIS and PAE response to genuine humanitarian needs in areas otherwise inaccessible to the humanitarian community could be worthwhile. Such activities could be a success if paired with patrols in inaccessible or recently attacked areas rather than urban centers or IDP camps with pre-existing services. However, such targeting of assistance by AMIS appears unlikely due to AMIS's current policy not to patrol areas controlled by the Sudan Liberation Army faction led by Minni Minawi, following the attack on four soldiers in Gereida town, and in light of the Sector 2 Commander's emphasis that AMIS will not compromise their safety and security. ¶8. While there is a significant need for AMIS to rebuild its relationship with the Darfur population, proceeding with ad-hoc, uncoordinated, and untargeted humanitarian assistance delivery as a confidence-building measure is detrimental and will not achieve its goal. Only through a tangible enhancement of security will IDPs and other residents of Darfur regain confidence in the AMIS mission. This may be possible if AMIS pursues its core security-related responsibilities with equal creativity and energy as the recent push to provide assistance. End comment. HUME