BASHIR DEFIANT AS IDPs PREDICT CRISIS IN THE CAMPS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000324 DEPT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, AF/SPG, AF/C NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: BASHIR DEFIANT AS IDPs PREDICT CRISIS IN THE CAMPS REF: A) KHARTOUM 318 B) KHARTOUM 315 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: As authorities press ahead with the decision to expel NGOs from Darfur, a defiant Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir addressed a rally in El Fasher on March 8. In addition to accusing the U.S. of killing "millions" of Muslims, he denounced both the ICC and NGO workers as "agents of the West." Major cities and IDP camps in Darfur were quiet over the weekend, but furious Darfuri leaders expressed concern that IDPs would be adversely affected within one week to ten days as NGOs depart. GOS ministries have announced their intentions to step up their efforts to replicate the efforts of the NGOs, but Darfuris universally condemned GOS ministries, the HAC, and local NGOs as incapable of providing the required services. Joint Chief Mediator Gibril Bassole is traveling to Qatar, Libya and Brussels this week to address the NGO expulsions with regional leaders, while AU Chairman Ping is in Khartoum March 9 attempting to convince the NCP regime to freeze the expulsions or work with donors to ensure there are no gaps in humanitarian assistance in Darfur. End summary. -------------- BASHIR DEFIANT IN EL FASHER -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On March 8 President Bashir flew to El Fasher, North Darfur, to address a rally with incendiary rhetoric typical of his speeches since the ICC announcement (ref A),much of it aimed specifically at the U.S. Calling Western leaders "hypocrites," and NGO workers and International Criminal Court (ICC) judges "agents of the West," he accused the international community of wanting to colonize Sudan and steal its resources. In addition to his customary demand that the ICC judges and the West soak the arrest warrant in water and drink it, he accused the U.S. of killing "millions" of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza, and claimed that the U.S. perpetuates racist policies. Although Bashir returned to Khartoum the same day, UNAMID reported that the Sudanese president intends to visit El Geneina later this week. -------------- IDP LEADERS FURIOUS AS SERVICES FADE -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Furious that the GOS decision will curtail vital services, IDP leaders in Darfur interpreted the move as a deliberate policy to reduce the "pull factor" that attracts IDPs to the camps. Ahmed Atim Othman, a community leader in Abu Shouk IDP camp near El Fasher, North Darfur, accused the GOS of expelling the NGOs to pressure IDPs to leave the camps. "They have a plan to get rid of the IDP populations by any means, and this is one of the new ways of making the life of the IDPs difficult," he told emboff on March 8. Abdel Rahman Aam, a traditional leader in Kalma camp, South Darfur, told emboff that he believes that within two weeks, IDPs there will face acute water shortages and a lack of health services. Of the 90,000 IDPs living in the crowded camp, scene of a GOS shooting in August 2008 that killed 35 civilians, Aam predicted that some residents will definitely leave the camp in search of other suitable living areas. Hamid Abdel Kareem, an IDP community leader in West Darfur, expected increased suffering in the coming weeks in Kirinding IDP camp, home to more than 35,000 IDPs. Blaming the GOS for exacerbating the precarious plight in the camps, Kareem said he believes this to be part of the GOS policy to target the Fur people for supporting the expatriate rebel commander Abdel Wahid El Nur and tacitly supporting the arrest warrant issued last week by the International Criminal Court. In addition to lamenting the loss of basic services, all IDPs leaders expressed their full faith and confidence in the expelled NGOs. ¶4. (SBU) UN sources indicated that GOS authorities in Darfur have begun to address the coming shortfall in services, but they themselves do not appear to understand the enormity of the task before them. Hideo Ikebe, political officer with UNAMID, told poloff March 8 that in a meeting with UNAMID in El Geneina, officials with the West Darfur Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) said they were well aware of the short-sightedness of the decision, and were concerned that IDPs there would soon lack access to basic services. Yousif Fadul Gumaa, with the World Health Organization in El Fasher, said that the North Darfur Ministry of Health has already commandeered the assets of INGOs IRC and ACF in order to restart their nutrition programs in North Darfur, but he doubted that the fledgling ministry has the capacity to run clinics and nutritional centers. He predicted that the impact will be "immediate." Additionally, despite whatever earnestness the HAC and GOS authorities in Darfur bring to their new vocation, GOS humanitarian efforts would not cover as many Darfuris as current efforts. KHARTOUM 00000324 002 OF 002 According to the West Darfur IDP leader Kareem, Save the Children US, besides implementing life-saving programs in five areas of West Darfur (Geneina, Mornei, Habila, Forbaranga,Kerenik),also works in remote, rebel-held areas of West Darfur inaccessible to the HAC and government ministries. ¶5. (SBU) Darfuris working in NGOs and civil society organizations predicted that the next week to ten days will be crucial as bi-weekly aid distributions come to an end. Ismail Rasheed, director of the Save the Children Sweden office in El Fasher, said that it would be impossible for GOS authorities to immediately bridge the "huge" gap this decision has created, as health and education NGOs have already begun shutting down their operations in North Darfur. Ahmed Hassan Bahar, an El Fasher community leader allied with SLA/Minni Minnawi, said that the departure of the NGOs will impact Darfuris after one week, as GOS and local NGOs were lacking in professionalism and not trusted by the IDPs. Ahmed Adam Yousif, a civil society leader in El Fasher, was unsure that IDPs would accept the presence of GOS service providers inside the camps, and doubted that the GOS would follow through on its vow to provide the same level of aid to IDPs. -------------- BASSOLE TO DOHA, TRIPOLI, BRUSSELS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On March 8, George Zacariah, political officer with the office of Joint Chief Mediator Gibril Bassole, told poloff that following several days of tedious consultations with the NCP in Khartoum, Bassole heads today to Doha to consult with the Qataris on the GOS's order to expel NGOs working in Darfur. Privately frustrated that the decision was "not in the spirit of the Doha agreement," Bassole met with senior GOS officials who emphasized that the expulsion order is irrevocable and non-negotiable. Bassole's office does not intend to issue any public statement, but the Chief Mediator will travel to Doha, Tripoli and Brussels in the next week to see if regional partners can assist in engaging positively with the GOS. Bassole will return to Khartoum on March 14 and will meet with CDA Fernandez at that time. UNAMID polchief Abdul Mohammed told polchief March 9 that AU Chairman Ping met with GNU Presidential Advisor Nafie ali Nafie earlier that day, and that Nafie promised that the expulsions would stop and that the GNU would work with the UN and donors to ensure there is no gap in humanitarian assistance. Ping planned to meet with President Bashir later in the day March 9. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: Bashir's presence in Darfur, and his escalating rhetoric directed at NGOs and the international community, will continue to intimidate the marginalized and their leaders in Darfur. Elsewhere, a government decision to suspend services would be a cause for public protest, but for Darfuris, the August 2008 shootings during a peaceful protest at Kalma camp serve as a grim reminder to IDPs that public protests will be met with lethal force. If there is not a coordinated solution soon to mitigate the looming humanitarian catastrophe, already displaced Darfuris may eventually pick up their meager belongings and start walking to other locations including refugee camps in Chad to find better services. At a time when the rebel movements have reached a low point in terms of strength, the GOS decision to limit humanitarian assistance could lead to increased support for armed insurgents. With the GOS defiant, NGOs expelled, IDPs threatening to become refugees or throw their support to rebels, the ICC indictment of President Bashir is already having a significant impact on the crisis in Darfur. FERNANDEZ