Potential For Refugee Resettlement From Sudan

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 000340 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PASS TO PRM/A E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PREL ET ER SU DHS SUBJECT: Potential For Refugee Resettlement From Sudan ¶1. Summary: UNHCR and the Government of Sudan (GOS) are receptive to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) initiating operations in Sudan. UNHCR believes U.S. resettlement would provide it a "strategic option" in its efforts to find durable solutions for the protracted refugee population in the eastern Sudan camps. UNHCR is prepared to refer up to 750 individuals to USRAP this year and complete a multi-year group resettlement proposal for 11,000 refugees in late 2010 if USRAP becomes operational. The GOS is willing to work with USRAP and UNHCR to try and resolve potential obstacles to USRAP operations such as visa issuances and discriminatory departure fees for refugees. Embassy Khartoum expressed concerns about the strain on mission logistics - particularly motor pool resources - in hosting a Department of Homeland Security/Citizens and Immigration Services (DHS/CIS) adjudication team for up to two weeks and highlighted the uncertainty of the Sudanese political landscape during the coming year. End Summary. ¶2. The Nairobi-based Refugee Coordinator visited Khartoum January 31 to February 3 to explore the possibility of re-initiating the USRAP in Sudan. UNHCR has repeatedly urged USRAP to re-open its refugee resettlement program in Khartoum as part of its efforts to find durable solutions for refugees needing protection and for the protracted caseload in the eastern Sudan refugee camps. (Note: USRAP suspended its operations more than ten years ago when DHS/CIS staff were unable to secure visas to adjudicate in Khartoum. End Note). The Refugee Coordinator met with IOM and UNHCR representatives as well as the GOS Deputy Commissioner of Refugees (COR). ¶3. UNHCR-Sudan Representative Peter de Clerq confirmed that expanding refugee resettlement was a critical component in UNHCR's strategy to integrate locally the protracted refugee population in the twelve refugee camps in eastern Sudan. De Clerq said about 66,000 refugees (primarily Eritrean and Ethiopian) are living in the camps and they are ethnically and tribally very similar to the local population. UNHCR believes that by expanding refugee livelihood and self-reliance programs, increasing the number of UN agencies and NGOs providing services in the area, and merging refugee and host community services, the State government and local communities will accept integration of the refugees. For those refugees unable to be integrated, UNHCR planned submitting a three year group resettlement proposal for up to 11,000 refugees, but has not submitted the proposal as it wouldn't be credible without the participation of USRAP. UNHCR's Assistant Representative, Maya Ameratunga, however, confirmed that if USRAP became operational, UNHCR would complete and submit the group proposal later this year. De Clerq said if USRAP became operational, UNHCR could then use resettlement as a "strategic option" to gain increased cooperation from the Government of Sudan (GOS) by demonstrating that UNHCR had successfully expanded international burden sharing in the plan to close the camps in the east. ¶4. UNHCR's Assistant Representative, Maya Ameratung, confirmed that UNHCR, having completed its verification exercise in the camps, is prepared to double its referral submissions this year, but doesn't have resettlement countries to accept them. Ameratunga said that, in 2009, UNHCR resettled 765 refugees (459 urban-based and 306 camp-based) to, primarily, Canada, Sweden, and Norway against a plan of 1,000 refugee resettlements. In 2010, Ameratunga said UNHCR had identified 6,550 refugees in need of resettlement, but only had a capacity of resettling 625 because of a lack of third country resettlement options. Ameratunga said that with UNHCR's resettlement unit of three international (one in Kassala, two in Khartoum) and three national staff (along with one long-term International Catholic Migration Commission and one short-term Mapendo secondee),UNHCR is able to double its individual submissions this year and proposed submitting 750 individuals to USRAP and 750 individuals to its traditional resettlement partners in 2011. Ameratunga, however, cautioned that UNHCR would require additional staff in 2011 should its group resettlement proposal be accepted. ¶5. IOM's Chief of Mission, Jill Helke, said that IOM would be severely stretched to support USRAP should it initiate operations in Sudan. IOM's resettlement team currently consists of one Khartoum-based logistics staff who liaises with UNHCR to transport refugees and who completes airline bookings as needed for other resettlement countries. Helke, however, felt that IOM would be able to transfer logistics staff from other programs to the USRAP NAIROBI 00000340 002 OF 002 program should USRAP become operational. Helke also expressed concern about IOM's capacity to support USRAP medical requirement for departing refugees. She noted that the Norwegians planned to use a GOS hospital in Kassala to screen departing refugees and proposed that IOM's Africa Medical Chief conduct an assessment to determine if the facility could be used for USRAP departures as well. Helke confirmed that IOM does not have a base of operations in the eastern camps nor a transit center to house refuges for the five day medical observation period before departures, but could establish either, if necessary. Helke warned that while obtaining visas for expats is difficult, IOM has been able to secure GOS travel permits and exit permits for departing refugees without a great deal of difficulty. Finally, Helke cautioned that the GOS sporadically "beats IOM with a stick" over its Chad program and uses brinkmanship as its primary negotiating strategy. ¶6. The Refugee Coordinator and post's Political Officer met with the Sudanese Deputy Commissioner of Refugees (COR),Abdullah Sulieman, along with UNHCR's Ameratunga to review USRAP's interest in re-initiating resettlement operations in Sudan. The COR Deputy Commissioner confirmed the GOS saw expanding resettlement as a humanitarian priority for refugees in Sudan and welcomed USRAP's interest in initiating operations. Acknowledging that "something went wrong" when CIS was refused visas several years ago, Mr. Sulieman suggested that if COR was aware that a visa request was being made it could help facilitate visa issuance or, at least, be in a position to explain why visas were refused. The Refugee Coordinator explained the stages of USRAP processing highlighting that USRAP would opt to go slow to build confidence, but would likely more than double refugee resettlement out of Sudan if the program were to be established. ¶7. The Refugee Coordinator highlighted that a potential barrier to USRAP operations in Sudan was the GOS $250/refugee exit fee which the Deputy Commissioner promised to review with UNHCR to bring more in line with other exit fees (Note: UNHCR said it is already negotiating with COR to make the fees less discriminatory towards departing refugees. End Note). The Refugee Coordinator also highlighted the usual practice of DHS/CIS operating in a U.S. cleared non-embassy environment to adjudicate refugee claims and the possible need for USRAP's IOM and OPE partners to travel frequently to the camps to pre-screen and complete medicals, respectively. The Deputy Director said COR appreciated these needs and would cooperate to help locate a suitable building as well as to issue travel permits as needed. Finally, managing expectations to discourage USRAP resettlement operations being a "pull factor" was discussed with COR and UNHCR agreeing to finalize long-delayed plans to register the urban Khartoum refugee population in order to complete the verification exercise of the Sudan refugee population from which appropriate resettlement candidates could be drawn. ¶8. Discussions with Embassy Khartoum's RSO and Pol Chief highlighted logistical challenges in supporting an extended DHS/CIS staff presence in Khartoum. The RSO noted that mid-March was the target date for moving to a new embassy building (NOB) further from the center of Khartoum where the current embassy is located. The RSO also noted that Khartoum would most likely be the only acceptable DHS/CIS adjudication site due to the difficulty of obtaining travel permits and the lack of infrastructure outside of Khartoum. He speculated that GOS security services would most likely assist with identifying a suitable location, and that he would support a site located at a GOS compound in or near a military or police base that could provide suitable protection and crowd control. Both the RSO and Vice Consul confirmed that while four to five consular section windows may not be utilized in the NOB (NIV operations will begin in Khartoum in April with NIV operations scheduled to begin in one or two years),neither would support refugee adjudications on embassy grounds. The Pol Chief also noted that current mission policy requiring all embassy movements be in armored vehicles severely strains the embassy motor pool. She expressed concern about the embassy's ability to support the daily transportation needs of a two week circuit ride of eight to twelve DHS/CIS agents while simultaneously meeting the needs of embassy staff and the embassy's many visitors. Finally, the Pol Chief highlighted the challenging political landscape expected in Sudan over the next twelve months with Presidential elections in April and a potentially volatile referendum to determining Sudan's unity scheduled for January 2011. RANNEBERGER