Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE38609
2009-04-17 22:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

PRM RECOMMENDATIONS ON UNHCR SOUTHERN SUDAN

Tags:  PREF EAID SU 
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VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #8609 1072304
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 172244Z APR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0000
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0000
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0000
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0000
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0000
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS STATE 038609 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
ADDIS AND KAMPALA FOR REFUGEE COORDINATORS
KHARTOUM FOR REFUGEE OFFICER
GENEVA FOR RMA
BRUSSELS FOR POL/PRM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF EAID SU
SUBJECT: PRM RECOMMENDATIONS ON UNHCR SOUTHERN SUDAN
OPERATIONS

REF: A) NAIROBI 308 AND PREVIOUS B) KHARTOUM 306

Sensitive but Unclassified; please protect accordingly.

UNCLAS STATE 038609

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
ADDIS AND KAMPALA FOR REFUGEE COORDINATORS
KHARTOUM FOR REFUGEE OFFICER
GENEVA FOR RMA
BRUSSELS FOR POL/PRM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF EAID SU
SUBJECT: PRM RECOMMENDATIONS ON UNHCR SOUTHERN SUDAN
OPERATIONS

REF: A) NAIROBI 308 AND PREVIOUS B) KHARTOUM 306

Sensitive but Unclassified; please protect accordingly.


1. (U) We are now in the fifth year of the organized
repatriation of southern Sudanese refugees with probably 12
to 18 months remaining for a concerted push to get all of the
remaining refugees home in safety and dignity in time to
participate in the 2011 referendum but before uncertainties
about the future of Sudan lead many refugees to take a wait
and see approach. This cable summarizes PRM recommendations
made to UNHCR in February 2009 focusing on four key areas of
concern: balance between repatriation operations and
reintegration assistance; returns monitoring and protection
monitoring; refugees in southern Sudan; and contingency
planning. These recommendations follow conversations with
UNHCR in Geneva and Juba, review of relevant UNHCR documents,
and PRM,s most recent monitoring trip to southern Sudan in
November/December 2008. We remain in close contact with
UNHCR following the recent GOS expulsions of NGOs from Sudan
in the wake of the ICC announcement of an arrest warrant for
President Bashir. While UNHCR reports operations in Darfur,
Khartoum, Blue Nile State and Eastern Sudan will be
significantly affected by these expulsions, which include
UNHCR implementing partners, the impact on UNHCR,s southern
Sudan operations, outside of the Three Areas, remains to be
seen. So far it has been minimal, but significant challenges
remain in achieving sustainable returns that contribute to
stabilizing southern Sudan -- for example marshalling
adequate funding and smooth CPA implementation, the latter of
which is largely outside of UNHCR,s control.

CONTEXT


2. (U) The number of refugee returnees to southern Sudan
has been on the increase since repatriation operations began
following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in
January 2005. In 2008, UNHCR assisted 62,185 individuals to
return from Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and the DRC, the highest
yearly total thus far. As of April 4, 2009 the repatriation
of UNHCR-assisted southern Sudanese refugees has reached a
total of 314,496. UNHCR estimates that some 120,000 refugees
still remain outside of Sudan (primarily in Uganda, Kenya,
Ethiopia, and Egypt),and has plans to repatriate 54,000 in


2009. Subsequently, UNHCR plans to draw large-scale
repatriation operations to a close, as the remaining refugees
are expected to either spontaneously repatriate or be offered
alternative arrangements for repatriation or other durable
solutions. However, these optimistic plans may be derailed
by shortfalls in funding and/or unforeseen developments that
would limit repatriation operations in 2009.


4. (U) From November 15 -- December 4, PRM officers Brennan
Gilmore, Fruzsina Csaszar, and Inga Heemink conducted a
monitoring and evaluation trip to review PRM-funded NGO
programs supporting Sudanese refugees and returnees and the
broader operations of UNHCR, IOM, and ICRC in southern Sudan.
The team accompanied a repatriation convoy of 212 refugees
from Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya to Kapoeta,
Eastern Equatoria State, Sudan and spent three weeks in
Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Upper Nile
States in Sudan. (NOTE: These states comprise the highest
area of refugee return, and thus are the focus for UNHCR
operations and PRM funding. END NOTE). In all areas visited,
the PRM team met with UNHCR staff, implementing partners, and
local officials, as well as the returnees themselves. In
addition to discussions with UNHCR leadership in Juba and in
field offices throughout Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, and
Upper Nile, the team was able to visit reintegration project
sites, monitor a repatriation convoy, and observe waystation
activities. The team was able to thoroughly discuss key
successes and failures, as well as problems on the horizon.



5. (U) Repatriation operations in southern Sudan are
characterized by several constraints and challenges: the lack
of roads and transportation infrastructure throughout
southern Sudan, the seasonal weather pattern of a 4-6 month
rainy season during which repatriation operations must cease,
the high costs of maintaining repatriation infrastructure and
staffing during rainy season, and the logistical challenges
of scheduling repatriation convoys while ensuring that all
returns are voluntary and that returnees maintain their
safety and dignity. The success of UNHCR,s southern Sudan
operation thus far has been measured largely by numbers of
returnees. In terms of numbers returned, the southern Sudan
operation has been a resounding success. Despite all of the
challenges of conducting a repatriation operation in southern
Sudan, the UNHCR teams in the region have worked tirelessly
to conduct an operation that has assisted over 300,000
refugees to return home. UNHCR teams in Sudan, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Uganda, the DRC, and the CAR have ensured that
Sudanese refugees returned voluntarily, and in safety and
dignity.

KEY FINDINGS ON UNHCR



6. (U) PRM recommendations to UNHCR focused on four key
issues: the balance between repatriation operations and
reintegration assistance; returns monitoring and protection
monitoring; refugees in southern Sudan; and contingency
planning.


BALANCE BETWEEN REPATRIATION OPERATIONS AND REINTEGRATION
ASSISTANCE


7. (U) As the assisted repatriation operation to southern
Sudan winds down and eventually ends, there is a need to
shift focus on not just the number of returns, but also on
the quality of returns, in terms of the protection challenges
facing those who have returned. UNHCR offices throughout
southern Sudan have identified the lack of basic services
(and thus, returnees' access to such services) as an
important protection challenge facing returnees, and as the
key reason for secondary displacement. In light of UNHCR,s
commitment to provide refugees with durable solutions, the
long-term success of repatriation largely depends on
returnees, ability to reintegrate into their communities.
This is a particular challenge in southern Sudan, given the
profound lack of development and still nascent government.


8. (SBU) During all of the meetings with UNHCR staff
throughout southern Sudan, PRM heard about the challenge of
balancing staff time and resources between resource-intensive
repatriation operations and returnees, boundless need for
reintegration assistance. UNHCR support for reintegration
activities has been severely constrained by the pressure to
maintain a high level of repatriation operations, which
leaves reintegration activities under-resourced. One staff
member remarked that during repatriation season, almost all
staff are "sucked into the black hole that is repat." Staff
members noted that almost all unearmarked funding in the
southern Sudan budget is directed towards repatriation
operations; and several staff members suggested that PRM take
this into account in its earmark of funding for return and
reintegration activities in order to ensure that such
activities would be planned and implemented. PRM recognizes
the importance of providing dependable, unearmarked support
to UNHCR,s southern Sudan budget appeal. We believe that
unearmarked funding will allow the most flexibility for an
operation already facing many constraints, but will also
press for a program that does not under-capitalize the
reintegration part of the operation.


9. (U) UNHCR planned to cease major assisted repatriation
operations by the end of CY2009 and to focus more on
reintegration assistance. PRM supports this shift in
emphasis, recognizing that the timeline may shift into 2010
due to funding, security, and logistical constraints that may
keep UNHCR from achieving its 2009 repatriation target. PRM
has emphasized with both UNHCR/Geneva and Juba the need to
devise a strategy for 2010 that will highlight returnees,
most important needs and focus on sectors and geographic
areas where UNHCR has the most value-added and a comparative
advantage over other national and international actors
working on relief and development. PRM has offered
assistance in developing such a plan, including providing
information on USG activities or liaising with other donors
and OCHA, to help inform UNHCR southern Sudan,s
reintegration strategy.


RETURNS MONITORING AND PROTECTION MONITORING


10. (U) Returns monitoring is a difficult enterprise in
southern Sudan, given the vast geographic area to which
refugees are returning, the different modes of return, (most
returns are spontaneous),the fact that communities are often
receiving both returning refugees and IDPs, and the
logistical challenges caused by a lack of transportation
infrastructure and weather patterns. PRM recommended that
UNHCR staff collaborate more with other actors to leverage
information and to gain the most comprehensive understanding
of returnees, protections needs. In particular, PRM
recommended that UNHCR work closely with IOM and its network
of Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission
enumerators to bolster its coverage of returnee areas. While
the methodologies and aims of UNHCR and IOM vary, a shared
database on local community and returnee needs could promote
information sharing. UNHCR,s work on creating a Refugee
Returns Management Database is a step in the right direction.
We have encouraged further collaboration with the databases
of IOM and other organizations collecting information on the
needs of returning refugees and IDPs.


11. (SBU) A key constraint on UNHCR southern Sudan,s
returns monitoring protection functions is the dearth of
protection staff. PRM,s monitoring team noted this
challenge in 2007 and subsequently funded a Protection JPO
position for the UNHCR Juba office to bolster protection
staffing. PRM has learned that this JPO has made a valuable
contribution to UNHCR,s work; however, he has been pulled
into repatriation operations and has not been focused on
protection issues, as originally intended by the PRM support
for the position. We understand the need to have "all hands
on deck" during the intensive repatriation season; however,
we are very concerned that pulling the majority of staff into
working on repatriation operations prevents UNHCR from
fulfilling its other objectives in terms of protection
monitoring and response to protection concerns. As
organized returns wind down and as repatriation operations
give way to more of a focus on protection monitoring and
reintegration assistance, PRM has urged UNHCR to ensure that
there is a commensurate shift of staffing towards these
objectives by emphasizing protection staffing in its
strategic plan on focused reintegration activities.


REFUGEES IN SOUTHERN SUDAN


12. (U) Over 8,000 Ethiopian Anuak refugees have resided in
multiple locations in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Upper
Nile States since 2003. This relatively long-term refugee
population has received only sporadic assistance given the
remoteness of the area, the insecurity of travel during the
civil war, and the general inclination to not create more
refugee camps. UNHCR has planned a new assessment of Anuak
refugees around Pochalla with the goals of developing a plan
of regular assistance and seeking durable solutions. PRM
encouraged UNHCR to ensure, as part of its core mandate, that
Anuak and other refugees in Sudan are not overlooked in light
of other pressing concerns.


13. (U) As of April 14, 2009 over 17,000 Congolese refugees
have fled to southern Sudan from LRA attacks in northeastern
DRC. As UNHCR continues to respond to the increasing influx
of Congolese refugees into Western and Central Equatoria, PRM
encouraged timely outreach to donors to ensure that UNHCR and
NGO response capacity is bolstered with appropriate funding
appeals.


14. (U) PRM also encouraged UNHCR to continue to pursue with
the GOSS and the GNU the establishment of a system of status
determination for refugees in southern Sudan. UNHCR has
identified competing claims by the Government of National
Unity and Government of South Sudan to refugee status
determination authority as the primary obstacle. (Comment.
This competition between the two governmental authorities has
also been evident in the return of southern Sudanese
refugees, with the longtime GOS Commission for Refugees
asserting its continued control over all refugee and returnee
issues. We may not see a cooperative resolution to this
issue until the 2011 vote. End comment.)


CONTINGENCY PLANNING


15. (SBU) With implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement entering the critical last phases, PRM has
encouraged UNHCR to develop a detailed regional contingency
plan that could be implemented in the event of renewed
North-South conflict and resulting mass population movements.
Our own U.S. Government contingency plans for a new refugee
emergency would be very focused on UNHCR,s plans and
capacities. In consultations with UNHCR staff in Kakuma Camp
in Kenya, the PRM team understood that long-term planning for
the camp included rehabilitation of vacant areas and
maintaining these areas for a potential new influx. Of
course the current discussions on how to handle the
overcrowding in the Dadaab Camps is relevant also to plans
for the Kakuma Camp (see Ref A). We have asked UNHCR to
share similar plans for Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC, and CAR as
well as contingency infrastructure plans/capabilities in the
region (trucks, way stations, etc.). UNHCR clearly has its
hands very full already with current return and emergency
response operations in southern Sudan. Contingency planning
would not be intended to signal any lack of confidence in the
desirability of continued voluntary returns; it would be
prudent in light of the volatility of the Sudan situation of
ethnic and political conflict in the South as well as the
upheaval in humanitarian operations caused by the NGO
expulsions.
CLINTON