SOMALIA - CARE Suspends Programs, May Close

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002521 AIDAC SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/RSA AND A/S FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAID ECON SOCI SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - CARE Suspends Programs, May Close REF: A) Nairobi 1421 B) Nairobi 2429 C) Nairobi 1737 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. From October 21-22, the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General for Somalia (SRSG) chaired a meeting in Stockholm to prepare for an international conference on reconstruction and development. Priority was given to supporting the Djibouti process with flexible funding mechanisms applicable to the Somali context. However it has become increasingly difficult for organizations to operate in the country. The most recent victim of increased insecurity was the international NGO CARE, which implements several significant USG-funded humanitarian activities. On October 3, al-Shabaab ordered CARE to cease its operations in Somalia. Although contingency planning is underway by CARE and other partners, CARE's closure would result in over one million vulnerable people not receiving urgently needed food aid, and would put additional strain on the remaining humanitarian organizations in Somalia. End Summary. Planning for Reconstruction and Development -------------- ¶2. (SBU) From October 21-22 the UN SRSG for Somalia convened an international donors meeting in Stockholm to plan for reconstruction and development in Somalia, as called for in Article 11 of the Djibouti Agreement (ref A). The donors emphasized the importance of developing flexible and short term planning models based on the current state of affairs in Somalia. The meeting highlighted the need for a coordinated effort to build confidence on the ground in support of the Djibouti Agreement and called for reallocating existing funds, where necessary, to achieve this. However, while programs to help the TFG provide services are paramount, implementing partners continue to be adversely affected by growing insecurity, lawlessness, and the targeting of humanitarian officials (refs B and C). CARE Program Suspended, Considering Closure -------------- ¶3. (SBU) On October 3, CARE International received a threat from an al-Shabaab spokesman to immediately leave South Central Somalia. At present, all of CARE's activities in the area are suspended, while it attempts to have the threat rescinded by encouraging elders, religious leaders, and influential businessmen to pressure al-Shabaab to reconsider its decision. Should that effort fail, CARE is seriously considering closing its offices and "pulling out" of South Central Somalia entirely. Closure would have immediate and long term impacts on the provision of food aid, humanitarian assistance, and longer-term development programming. ¶4. (SBU) CARE has been assisting Somalis since 1981 and is currently USAID's largest implementing NGO partner in Somalia. It is also one of two main USAID partners providing emergency food aid, and it is implementing a large OFDA-funded umbrella activity providing non-food emergency assistance to the most critically vulnerable, as well. In addition, CARE implements a civil society and media strengthening program and a livelihood support program in Gedo and Lower Juba regions, as well as managing a large portfolio of activities funded by other donors. Somalia is CARE's largest program globally. CARE is currently operating on an internal timetable on closure and we expect its decision in the next few days. Should CARE close its program in South Central Somalia, its programming in Puntland and Somaliland would continue. ¶5. (SBU) In addition to the suspension of direct CARE programming, CARE has also suspended the work of sub-grantees and contractors. It has indefinitely postponed the recruitment of a Food Security Advisor for its food aid program. At present, WFP and ICRC have begun planning for assuming CARE's food aid distributions, but there is no indication that another organization would be willing to take over its other activities, which would force the closure of programs that sustain many Somali national NGOs. -------------- Contingency Planning -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The World Food Program (WFP)has developed contingency NAIROBI 00002521 002 OF 002 preparations to take over food distribution in the event of a CARE closure. However, WFP is already stretched thin by its existing operations and it does not have the same local expertise and contacts as CARE in these areas. ¶7. (SBU) ICRC has indicated that it would temporarily assume responsibility for Mudug/Galgaduud and Las Anod (the disputed border area between Somaliland and Puntland) regions until such time that WFP or another agency could step in. ICRC has estimated that it could procure food commercially within six weeks of being asked via a Somali contractor to feed an estimated 422,000 beneficiaries (72,000 HH) through the end of the calendar year but that it would need additional funding to go beyond that time-frame. WFP favors a temporary re-entry of ICRC so that WFP would not have to take over all the CARE areas at once and so that it would have time to vet CARE's existing implementing partners. ICRC indicated that due to political sensitivities, it would not distribute USG-marked bags originally ear-marked for CARE. Overall Impacts of Program Closures -------------- ¶8. (SBU) In the event of CARE's closure, over one million vulnerable people will not receive urgently needed food aid. A closure of its program in South Central Somalia would have an impact on 90% of CARE's current grant portfolio in Somalia and would affect roughly 1.2 million beneficiaries, including about one million people expecting to receive CARE's food for the reminder of the year, all of whom live in areas classified by FSAU as in "humanitarian emergency" - one level below "famine" on the food security classification scale. At present, CARE has 37,000 MT of commodities in the pipeline for immediate distribution. The closure would involve shutting down twelve programs: three emergency programs, three recovery programs, and five development programs funded by USAID, OFDA, EC, ECHO, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany. It would also negatively impact CARE's ability to support operations in Somaliland and Puntland from Nairobi. CARE would be forced to sever its relations with roughly 60 implementing partners, terminate approximately 120 staff and close out two sub-offices and three field-offices. ¶9. (SBU) A closure of CARE, coupled with the recent suspension and closure of International Medical Corps (IMC),which has also been threatened by al-Shabaab, would have an extremely deleterious impact on Somalia's most vulnerable. Since 1991 IMC has been the lead organization providing maternal and child health (MCH) care in Bay and Bakool regions. It is currently providing essential health services to 23,000 people per month. IMC's closure would directly affect USAID's recently awarded $3.5 million supplementary feeding programs for 650 acutely malnourished children and another 3600 severely malnourished children. Running Out of Options -------------- ¶10. (SBU) With little space for humanitarian agencies to work in Somalia, most organizations are focusing on critical life-saving programs. The direct threat against CARE, recent looting of WFP, and continued targeting of aid workers are stark evidence that delivery of food aid has become increasingly difficult. While the international community is committed to re-programming resources to directly support the Djibouti peace process, it will be an enormous challenge just to sustain relationships with implementing partners in the current environment. ¶11. (SBU) If they persist, the security challenges and the concomitant decreased operating space for humanitarian activities will make it difficult to use programs in unstable regions in order to capitalize on windows of opportunity. On the heels of the Stockholm donor meeting, the Embassy's Somalia Country Team is meeting with other donors and international partners in Nairobi in order to chart a realistic way forward. RANNEBERGER