USAID Acting Administrator's Meeting with Humanitarian

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001229 NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU GENEVA FOR NKYLOH UN ROME FOR HSPANOS NEW YORK FOR DMERCADO SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SMIG UN SU SUBJECT: USAID Acting Administrator's Meeting with Humanitarian Agencies in Nyala, South Darfur REF: KHARTOUM 1215 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On October 25, USAID Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham, Acting Assistant Administrator for USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/DCHA) Susan Reichle, and USAID Senior Policy Advisor Steven Pierce met with the South Darfur Area Humanitarian Country Team (ACHT) in Nyala, South Darfur, as part of an October 24 to 27 visit to Sudan. The delegation was accompanied by USAID Mission Director William Hammink and USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Acting Country Representative Kate Farnsworth. The ACHT raised significant concerns regarding insecurity and disposition of expelled non-governmental organizations' (NGO) assets, both of which significantly affect program implementation. End summary. -------------- SOUTH DARFUR AHCT -------------- ¶2. During a day visit to Nyala, South Darfur, Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham and delegation met with the South Darfur AHCT. The latter is a field-level organization mirroring the the Khartoum UN Country Team and comprised of representatives from UN agencies and NGOs. The AHCT, on behalf of the wider assistance community, meets regularly to deal with issues affecting South Darfur humanitarian operations. In an unstructured question and answer format that served as an excellent wrap-up session for the Acting Administrator on humanitarian issues in northern Sudan, NGO and UN representatives conveyed their concerns regarding issues of security, access, returns, and funding. -------------- INSECURITY PERSISTS, LIMITS RURAL REACH -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The UN Acting Security Coordinator, currently the UN World Food Program (WFP) Officer-in-Charge, opened the meeting by describing the highly insecure operating environment for humanitarian workers. According to the security coordinator, kidnapping threats, actual kidnappings, and carjackings all serve to intimidate the humanitarian community and result in relief workers limiting movements outside the main capitals in Darfur. ¶4. (SBU) According to the UN, the number of carjackings remains disturbing - three in the recent week, WFP stated, but the number is less than before March 2009. However, reporting on raw numbers is misleading, observed one veteran NGO director, for two primary reasons. First, in March 2009, the Government of Sudan (GOS) confiscated hundreds of 4-wheel drive vehicles belonging to NGOs, reducing the number of "lootable" vehicles in circulation. Second, remaining NGOs further reduced the number of 4-wheel drive vehicles in circulation by parking them and using small cars and minibuses, which are less attractive to carjackers. ¶5. (SBU) With road travel virtually at a standstill due to the lack of operational vehicles, NGOs are relying on UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) helicopter flights to reach deep field locations for short visits. The inability of NGOs to sustain a presence in deep field locations has a direct impact on the organizations' ability to do the assessments required to design rural programs. This lack of a sustained presence also limits an understanding of the returns process, including associated water rights, land ownership, and access. -------------- "RETURNS" VERIFICATION -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) representative noted that after seven months of being denied travel to South Darfur, the State authorities had finally accepted IOM's presence in South Darfur. IOM reported that cooperation with the South Darfur Humanitarian Aid Commission is excellent, and IOM has already been requested to verify up to 95 sites where returnees are present. However, in a visit to one of the GOS-identified "returns" sites, the IOM team discovered a village that had been untouched by the conflict, with no IDPs either coming or going from the village. IOM remains optimistic about their current role and is moving forward to assess other sites. -------------- ASSETS REMAIN CONFISCATED KHARTOUM 00001229 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (SBU) NGOs highlighted a number of other issues during the meeting. New affiliate NGO Care International Switzerland (CIS) (protect) reported that the organization has received only basic assets of the expelled NGO CARE/US contrary to the promise made by the GOS in agreements reached with U.S. Special Envoy (SE) to Sudan General Scott Gration. (Note: In other meetings, USAID learned that returned basic assets include kitchen equipment, beds, and mattresses from the Kass guest house. End note.) The delay in asset return is limiting CIS's ability to begin operations in South Darfur, operations that have been requested by local authorities and funded by USAID/OFDA. ¶8. (SBU) Other issues raised included a request that the U.S. continue to support UNHAS's Darfur flight operations as a critical life-line for NGOs to access some deep field locations; a note that year-to-year funding makes longer-term planning, particularly with technical ministries, very difficult; and a call by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for USAID to urge its partners to participate actively in cluster coordination activities (Note: Darfur is the Sudan pilot for the roll out of the UN cluster lead formula, an approach that USAID supports, in general, with reservations regarding added costs associated with the staffing of cluster offices. End note.) ¶9. (U) The USAID delegation cleared this cable prior to their departure. WHITEHEAD