DDR Reintegration Component Faces USD 35 Million Shortfall

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001086 NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO MOPS UNSC SU SUBJECT: DDR Reintegration Component Faces USD 35 Million Shortfall ¶1. Summary: Basil Massey, UNDP Demobilization, Decommissioning and Reintegration (DDR) Program Manager for Sudan told Charge on August 27 that Blue Nile State had completed disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) for more than 5,000 Southern People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers. Ongoing DDR for the 4,000 SPLA soldiers whose homes are in the Nuba Mountains will eliminate ceasefire violations in that area. More weapons are being turned in than anticipated, and 80 percent of these are in working order. The Government of Southern Sudan must demobilize an additional 34,000 SPLA soldiers this year. However, meeting DDR challenges will be difficult; the reintegration component of the DDR program for the South faces a USD 35 million (approximately 87.5 million SDG) shortfall. The Government of Southern Sudan's operational budget is also insufficient. End Summary. ¶2. Although DDR, one of the main pillars of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),has suffered numerous delays, with the February launch of the program in Blue Nile State, a renewed sense of partnership among the GNU, the GOSS and the UN has emerged, Massey said. -------------- Blue Nile State Completed DDR -------------- ¶3. It was a significant step forward when the GNU and GoSS agreed on DDR modalities for the Three Areas, especially in light of governance issues in those states, he said. The DDR process in Blue Nile State is now completed, with more than 5,000 soldiers demobilized. Governor Agar, at first skeptical, has been won over, Massey said. -------------- -- DDR In Kordofan To Address Ceasefire Violations -------------- -- ¶4. In South Kordofan, Governor Haroun is currently working to demobilize both the SPLA and the SAF. However, South Kordofan remains tense. The CPA calls for the SPLA forces to deploy south of the provisional border set at the January 1, 1956 line of demarcation. However, more than 4,000 SPLA troops in South Kordofan are indigenously Nuban, and will continue to live in the area. Therefore, the only way to reduce ceasefire violations is to demobilize all the troops. Over 1,200 have already been demobilized, and an additional 3,000 have been identified for demobilization. Once demobilization occurs, the individual is no longer part of the Southern People's Liberation Army (SPLA); any violence that does occur, although regrettable, will not be a violation of the ceasefire, Massey said. -------------- More Weapons Turned In Than Expected -------------- ¶5. Massey said there is lots of enthusiasm on the ground for the program. Many more Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPG),machine guns, mortars and small caliber guns are being brought in than were anticipated. In southern Blue Nile province, for example, Massey expected approximately 700 weapons to be turned in; instead, the program received more than 1,300 weapons. In addition, 80 percent of all the weapons turned in were functional. A survey done by Human Rights Watch shows that the country is awash with weapons, Massey said. Although the broader community security issues will not be addressed until the police and courts function as they should, the DDR program is making a major contribution to peace and security in areas in which even women and children have been killed. The DDR program does not deal directly with other armed groups, Massey said in response to a question; only those militias that have been incorporated into the SPLA will benefit. -------------- 35 Million Needed for DDR in South -------------- ¶6. Despite the recent positive developments, the DDR program faces urgent challenges in the south. As a result of the drop in oil prices and other fiscal pressures, the SPLA cannot pay salaries, and has announced that it must demobilize 36,000 SPLA soldiers over the course of the year. When all are demobilized, the South will save approximately 18 million SDG per year as a result, Massey said. However, only 2,000 soldiers have been demobilized to date, and there is a shortfall in funding for the reintegration program of USD 35 million (approx SDG 87.5 million.) Without reintegration support, there is a substantial risk that demobilized troops will become a threat to the communities in which they live, Massey said, because they will have no access to livelihood opportunities. Not only will they suffer severe hardships, but also the impoverished KHARTOUM 00001086 002 OF 002 soldiers could turn to violence and banditry. The resulting instability may undermine the prospects for peaceful elections in 2010, he said. In addition, the GNU and GoSS are struggling to cover the operational and staffing costs of the DDR program, which total about USD 45 million (approximately SDG 1.1 billion.) ¶7. Charge told UNDP that neither the Department of Defense nor USAID funds DDR programs here; the Department of State through the Pol-Mil and geographic bureaus covers DDR via funding to international organizations. As a matter of policy, the United States normally does not contribute, as other countries do, to pooled trust funds. And, because the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) include soldiers from the North as well as the SPLA, U.S. sanctions prevent the United States from dealing with them. Massey noted that he understood that the United States funded contractors and NGOs directly to provide livelihood packages as part of the Afghanistan DDR program. -------------- DDR Roundtable To Be Held in October -------------- ¶8. The North and the South are managing DDR as a partnership, Massey said. A DDR roundtable is held every six months, with the third scheduled for October, under the auspices of the National DDR Coordinator General Balu. Second Vice President Taha will attend, as will senior U.N. security staff. WHITEHEAD