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Cablegate: Sudan - Needs Assessments in Kassala State

VZCZCXRO4999
PP RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2788/01 3380712
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040712Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5481
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002788

SIPDIS

AIDAC
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH
NAIROBI FOR SFO
NSC FOR PMARCHAM, MMAGAN, AND TSHORTLEY
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
USUN FOR TMALY
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SU AU
SUBJECT: SUDAN - NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IN KASSALA STATE


KHARTOUM 00002788 001.2 OF 002


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Summary
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1. (U) From November 5 to 9, the UN led a Joint Assessment Mission
(JAM) to examine the food and non-food aid needs of Ethiopian and
Eritrean refugees in Kassala State, eastern Sudan. For the first
time, the JAM was carried out in conjunction with the UN World Food
Program (WFP)-led Annual Needs Assessment (ANA), which is conducted
throughout Sudan to assess internally displaced persons (IDP) and
vulnerable populations' food security requirements. By utilizing
the ANA-designed questionnaire in refugee camps, WFP and the Office
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) aim to improve the
quality and accuracy of information collected on the needs of
refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable populations. From November 1
to 18, the ANA and JAM teams visited IDP and refugee camps as well
as crop production areas throughout Kassala State. A USAID staff
member participating in the JAM reported that one of the biggest
challenges is transitioning relief activities to recovery,
rehabilitation, and sustainable development programs for refugees.
Detailed findings from the ANA and JAM are expected to be reported
in the coming weeks.

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2. (SBU) The Government of Eritrea's decision in early November to
cancel permits for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing
assistance to northeast Sudan - the area formerly controlled by the
Eastern Front opposition group - cross-border from Eritrea has
increased concerns about humanitarian access and the ability of
assistance programs to continue. However, on November 20, USAID
partner International Rescue Committee (IRC) received authorization
from the Wali (governor) of Kassala State to begin operations in
Hamashkorieb locality, auguring an easing of restrictions for
humanitarian organizations seeking access to the area from within
Sudan. End summary.

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JAM in Kassala State
----------------------

3. (U) The JAM for the refugee camps in Kassala - jointly carried
out by WFP, UNHCR, and the Government of National Unity's (GNU)
Commission for Refugees (COR) - was last conducted in December 2004,
when agencies agreed that the next one should take place in May
2006. However, the assessment mission was postponed to November
2006 to obtain post-harvest information and synchronize the timing
with WFP's ANA process. The USAID/Sudan food security and
agriculture specialist participated in the JAM from November 7 to 9.
The JAM's objectives include: analyze the food security situation
and determine food and non-food aid requirements for 2007; assess
the health and nutrition status of children, pregnant and lactating
mothers, and the sick and elderly; review the performance,
achievements, and constraints of food aid programs and basic
services provided; and identify opportunities available and
constraints for refugees to enhance levels of self-reliance. The
mission included visits to refugee camps and local markets,
interviews of refugees, and meetings with camp management staff and
GNU officials.

4. (U) UNHCR estimates that the 12 camps in Kassala, Gedarif,
Sinnar, and Gezira states have a total population of approximately
95,000 refugees, some of whom have been in Sudan for more than 30
years. The refugees live in three different types of camps:

A) Reception camps, where refugees first arrive and their status is
determined before being moved to other camps;

B) Wage-based camps are located primarily in agricultural areas
where refugees are expected to obtain employment as laborers in the
rain-fed mechanized agricultural schemes; and

C) Land-based camps, where refugees have been allocated between 5
and 10 feddans of agricultural land for cultivation (1 feddan is
equivalent to 1.03 acres). The main crop grown is sorghum, which is
the staple food crop of the host communities. During good years,
some sesame is grown as a cash crop.

5. (U) UNHCR and COR manage and run all the camps in the four
states, providing basic services, including health, water and
sanitation, education, and protection. WFP distributes food
assistance to 85,000 refugees under Emergency Operation (EMOP)

KHARTOUM 00002788 002.2 OF 002


10503.

6. (SBU) The USAID/Sudan food security and agriculture specialist
noted that one of the biggest challenges is transitioning relief
activities to recovery, rehabilitation, and sustainable development
programs for refugees. Most of the refugees have received food
assistance for many years - some for more than 30 years - resulting
in dependency on external humanitarian assistance. The wage- and
land-based camps were established as a means of supporting refugees
in reaching self-reliance. However, these programs need to be
strengthened to allow refugee households to meet their food and
income needs. In addition, the USAID/Sudan food security and
agriculture specialist recommends that WFP discontinue general food
distributions and focus on targeted activities, such as
food-for-work, food-for-recovery, and school feeding. Special
attention should be given to vulnerable populations, including the
elderly and chronically ill, households living with HIV/AIDS, and
orphan-headed households.

---------------
UNHCR 2007 Plan
---------------

7. (SBU) During a meeting with JAM participants, UNHCR highlighted
the main points of the UNHCR 2007 Plan for refugees in eastern
Sudan. The plan includes the following: a) advocate for legal
reform to allow refugees and asylum seekers to have proper
documentation; b) advocate for regularization of refugees' status,
rights to movements, and residence, particularly for those living in
urban settings; c) enhance refugees access to self reliance; d)
resettle refugees to a third country for those who qualify; and e)
repatriate refugees, especially given the recent opening of the
Sudanese-Eritrean border and the normalization of relations between
both countries. (Comment: JAM participants criticized the plan's
focus on resettlement to a third country and repatriation to Eritrea
instead of the option to integrate refugees into the communities
where some have lived for more than 30 years. In the last several
years, the number of repatriated and resettled refugees has not
exceeded 10 percent of the caseload. Given this small percentage,
UNHCR should consider and engage the GNU, refugees, and local
authorities in discussions on the potential for options for
integration of some of the 90 percent of refugees who are not
repatriated or resettled. End comment.)

----------------------
Access to Hamashkorieb
----------------------

8. (SBU) On November 8, the USAID food security and agriculture
specialist and the WFP coordinator for Center, East, and Three Areas
(CETA) met with the HAC commissioner for Kassala State to discuss
concerns about humanitarian access to Hamashkorieb. (Note: In
early November, the Eritrean Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare
notified USAID partners providing assistance in eastern Sudan that
the NGOs' travel, resident, and work permits in Eritrea would expire
by mid-month. The decision effectively halts the organizations'
cross-border programs, which provide food assistance to populations
in the area of northeast Sudan formerly controlled by the Eastern
Front opposition group. Eritrean authorities justified this action
by noting that the signing of the Eritrean-brokered Eastern Sudan
Peace Agreement (ESPA) between the Eastern Front and the GNU meant
that cross-border operations from Eritrea were no longer necessary.
However, the GNU has not yet permitted humanitarian agencies to
access the area from within Sudan. End note.) In response to USAID
and WFP questions about the GNU's plans to ease restrictions on
access to Hamashkorieb, the HAC commissioner indicated that the
policy of the Kassala State Government is to work through
"concerned" entities to resolve access problems throughout the
state. The commissioner called for more donor and UN assistance to
eastern Sudan in support of the ESPA.

9. (U) On November 20, USAID partner IRC received written
authorization from the Wali's office in Kassala allowing the NGO to
move to Hamashkorieb and provide assistance in the area. IRC plans
to begin activities in the near future.

HUME

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