DARFUR - HUMANITAREAN SITUATION IN KALMA IDP CAMP CRITICAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000746

DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/C
NSC FOR MGAVIN
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU
BRUSSELS FOR PBROWN
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS
NEW YORK ALSO FOR DMERCADO

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF EAID KPKO SOCI ASEC AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: DARFUR - HUMANITAREAN SITUATION IN KALMA IDP CAMP CRITICAL
AS IMPEDIMENTS CONTINUE

REFS: A) KHARTOUM 410
B) KHARTOUM 418

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) Kalma internally displaced person (IDP) camp, near Nyala,
South Darfur, remains one of the most significant humanitarian-gap
areas following the early March expulsions of international
non-governmental organizations by the Government of Sudan (GoS).
According to field reports, the humanitarian situation in Kalma has
become critical, as South Darfur state authorities continue to delay
the initiation of delivery of humanitarian services by the three
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) approved by camp leaders to
provide assistance. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and NGOs report
deteriorating health and water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions
in the camp. Humanitarian agencies express grave concern regarding
the effect of continued delays, particularly given the upcoming
rainy season. End summary.

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Expulsions, Intransigent Camp Leaders Limit Access to Kalma
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2. (U) Following the early March expulsions of 13 international
non-governmental organizations (NGOs),including five organizations
working in Kalma camp, suspicious camp leaders denied access to UN
agencies and NGOs, expressing concern that the GoS intended to use
the opportunity to evacuate the camp and force camp residents to
return to their areas of origin (reftels). Thus, relief assistance,
including health services, routine immunizations, nutrition support,
and food assistance, largely ceased as the UN, camp leaders, and GoS
representatives negotiated humanitarian access to the camp.


3. (U) On April 7, UN World Food Program (WFP) implementing partner
World Vision gained access to Kalma to commence a food distribution
following negotiations between humanitarian agencies and IDP
leaders. However, IDP leaders continued their month-long refusal of
additional humanitarian services. As a result, neither the
regularly scheduled polio immunization campaign nor the meningitis
vaccination operation occurred in Kalma. Camp leaders also refused
to allow government authorities to provide fuel for motorized water
pumps.

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Camp Leaders Relent, New Obstacle Emerges
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4. (U) After nearly one month of negotiations, on April 19, Kalma
IDP camp leaders approved three USAID-funded international NGO
partners, International Medical Corps (IMC),Merlin, and American
Refugee Committee (ARC),to fill health, nutrition and water,
sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) gaps in the camp. With IDP leaders'
approval, ARC, IMC, Merlin, UNICEF, and the UN World Health
Organization conducted a rapid needs assessment in the camp,
revealing urgent water needs and depleted medical supplies.


5. (U) On May 13, ARC, IMC, and Merlin intended to commence
activities in Kalma, initially focusing on identifying qualified
former staff and verifying stocks of supplies and materials. During
a May 13 health coordination meeting in Nyala, however, the State
Ministry of Health (SMoH) informed NGO partners that recruiting
former national staff in Kalma was not possible unless the hiring
process proceeded through the Government of National Unity
Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH),
a process that the NGOs noted has taken up to six months to complete
in the past. The HAC, MoH, and involved NGOs held a special meeting
on May 14 to resolve the issue.


6. (SBU) Following the May 14 meeting, HAC informed the NGOs that
they would not be permitted to provide assistance in Kalma camp
until all activities were discussed directly with the South Darfur
Deputy Wali, or governor. Since then, however, the Wali's office
has cancelled or rescheduled all meetings with the NGOs, leaving
urgent health and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs largely
unmet. On May 26, one of the NGO partners reported that the HAC
disallowed staff travel to the camp, insisting that the NGOs must

KHARTOUM 00000746 002 OF 003


first resolve their status with the Wali's office.

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Current Kalma Camp Conditions
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7. (SBU) On June 4, Merlin (please protect) reported deteriorating
conditions in Kalma camp and urged immediate intervention by the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to
resolve the crisis. Merlin reported that drug and other medical
supplies at both health clinics in the camp formerly run by expelled
NGOs were nearly exhausted and that the quality of drinking water
was of major concern. A small number of former NGO staff were
volunteering in the former IRC clinic to provide urgent care;
however, only a one-week supply of drugs remained. Without support
and medical supplies, Merlin reported that these staff would be
unable to keep the clinic open. National staff in this clinic see
up to 200 patients per day, with three to five serious cases
requiring referral to Nyala, which no longer can be facilitated due
to lack of transport. In addition, drug supplies are nearly
exhausted in the former MSF/H clinic, where former MSF/H staff had
been purchasing essential drugs to support the clinic using pooled
severance payments. Merlin noted that the former MSF/H clinic would
soon close. Field staff noted extremely long queues for water, with
people waiting in line for days to use hand pumps. As camp leaders
continue to refuse GoS fuel deliveries, motorized pumps are not
operational. In addition, humanitarian agencies express concern
regarding poor water quality as the water table falls.


8. (U) UNICEF continues to provide nutrition support by
transporting supplies for the SMoH and providing salary support to
former nutrition workers employed previously by an expelled NGO.
However, this arrangement is unsustainable in the long-term and
risks the deterioration of services, including decreased early
detection of malnutrition with the loss of outreach workers and
reduced capacity to manage the seasonal increase in malnutrition
during the hunger gap from April to September.


9. (U) Responding to reports of exhausted medical supplies in
Kalma, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) offered to provide
medical drugs for the camp, but camp leaders rebuffed the offer.
They continue to distrust WHO, since WHO traditionally works with
the GoS MOH. On June 7, a team comprising UN World Health
Organization (WHO),UNICEF, and OCHA representatives visited Kalma
to assess the medical supplies in the former Medecins Sans
Frontieres Holland (MSF/H) clinic and water points in the camp.
However, camp leaders denied them access to the clinic, stating that
the leaders must discuss the matter internally before permitting the
team to enter the camp.


10. (U) Lack of support prior to and during the upcoming rainy
season could significantly exacerbate inadequate heath and water,
sanitation, and hygiene conditions in the camp. During the rainy
season, IDPs may be tempted to avoid long queues at water pumps by
using unsafe drinking water from the nearby wadi, or seasonal
riverbed. Nutrition and health conditions also typically worsen
during the rainy season. With limited disease surveillance and the
lack of regularly scheduled vaccination campaigns, increases in
disease incidence that are typical during the rainy season could
significantly worsen. Humanitarian partners planned to raise the
issue with the HAC prior to the Tripartite Joint Technical
Committee, scheduled for June 9.


11. (SBU) NGOs have expressed frustration regarding delays and
perceived weakness in the UN's engagement with the GoS on the issue
of Kalma camp, particularly given the potential for further
deterioration of humanitarian indicators, as well as security. On
June 10, Merlin sent a second urgent letter on behalf of the NGO
Steering Committee in South Darfur to the OCHA Deputy Resident
Coordinator regarding the humanitarian situation in Kalma,
requesting immediate intervention with the relevant government
authorities. On June 11, OCHA delivered a letter to South Darfur's
Deputy Wali outlining conditions at Kalma and expressing concern
regarding the more than three week delay in approval for the NGOs'
work plans and the South Darfur authorities' refusal of travel
permits to the NGOs. In addition, OCHA noted that the delay in
resuming health services could increase tension in the camp.


KHARTOUM 00000746 003 OF 003



12. (SBU) On June 11, the HAC Secretary General notified the UN
that the heads of UN agencies are expected to attend a meeting on
June 13 in the South Darfur Wali's office, with HAC Commissioner
General Hassabo and Special Advisor to the President Dr. Ghazi.
Non-UN agencies were specifically excluded from the meeting
invitation.

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Comment
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11. (SBU) More than three months after the early March NGO
expulsions, Kalma camp continues to languish without significant
progress in filling gaps created by the loss of five major
humanitarian organizations. Both the camp sheikhs and the South
Darfur government have presented challenges to service provision,
leaving 90,000 camp residents without urgently needed assistance.
The politicization of the gap-filling process in Kalma, one of the
most volatile and politically charged camps in Darfur, is perhaps
unsurprising; however, the continued stand-off and the upcoming
rainy season have the potential to create a serious humanitarian
emergency if prolonged much further. The lack of drugs and medical
supplies, as well as the limited water supply, are of particular
concern.


12. (SBU) Comment continued: USAID will continue to liaise with
partners ARC, IMC, and Merlin, as well as UN agencies, to monitor
progress in gaining access to begin services in Kalma camp. In
addition, Post will continue to encourage the GoS at the federal
level to ensure that state-level officials abide by agreements to
facilitate humanitarian assistance, even in locations the GoS finds
unsavory.

WHITEHEAD