E1 ACTION AID-00 AF-OO INL-OO TEDE-OO nap-01 TEST-00 PMB-OO PRM-OO AOSOCB 0217132 38 0215562 OCT 03 - FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0248 INFO AMEMBASSY NAIROBI UNCLAS KHARTOUM 00874 AID ADM FOR FOR JMARKS JKIMBROUGH JENSEN SUDAN TASK FORCE AHENSON BDSILVA SBRADLEY RNIEC FFULLER JWALSH PMCDERMOTT ADEPREZ DSUTHER PRILEY TMALY FOR DRAAD JSMALL E O 12958 TAGS SUDAN - FY 2004 DISASTER DECLARATION FOR COMPLEX EMERGENCY - 1 SUMMARY THIS CABLE RE-DECLARES THE COMPLEX HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN SUDAN AND REQUESTS CONTINUED ASSISTANCE FROM THE USAID OFFICE OF US FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE OFDA TO MEET THE EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS OF WAR- AND DROUGHT-AFFECTED CIVILIAN POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN ADDITION THE ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN AND THE SPLM HAVE CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR USG ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT AND CONSOLIDATE THE SUDAN PEACE PROCESS FACILITATE RECONCILIATION OF WARRING PARTIES AND MOVE THE COUNTRY MORE FIRMLY ONTO A PATH TOWARDS DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT THIS PROCESS POST ALSO REQUESTS CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM THE USAID OFFICE OF TRANSITION INITIATIVES END SUMMARY 2 CIVIL WAR IN SUDAN CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF CIVILIANS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY REMAINS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF A CONTINUING COMPLEX HUMANITARIAN DISASTER FOR WHICH INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE IS VITAL THE CRISIS IN BOTH THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN SUDAN IS BEYOND THE CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN GOS TO MANAGE THE GOS AND THE SUDAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT SPLM WHICH CONTROLS LARGE AREAS OF THE SOUTH HAVE REQUESTED USG ASSISTANCE TO SAVE LIVES MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF THE DISASTER ON LIVELIHOODS AND ENABLE AFFECTED POPULATIONS TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES UNTIL A DURABLE PEACE CAN BE ESTABLISHED POST FURTHER ADVISES THAT THE PROVISION OF HUMANITARIAN AND TRANSITIONAL ASSISTANCE IS IN THE FOREIGN POLICY INTERESTS OF THE USG TWENTY YEARS OF CONFLICT IN SUDAN HAVE CAUSED SEVERE HARDSHIP AND DISRUPTION FOR MILLIONS OF SUDANESE THE WAR HAS DISPLACED AN ESTIMATED FOUR MILLION PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN AND SEPARATED THEM FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL LIVELIHOODS IN KHARTOUM AND OTHER TOWNS IN THE NORTH THE DISPLACED ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY WOMEN AND CHILDREN LIVING IN CAMPS IN SQUALID CONDITIONS WITH LIMITED EMPLOYMENT OR INCOME GENERATING OPTIONS IDPS ARE HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR BASIC SURVIVAL SIMILARLY COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH HAVE BEEN SEVERELY AFFECTED BY THE WAR AND ARE ALSO HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO SURVIVE CONFLICT AND NEGLECT HAVE WREAKED HAVOC ON PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE DESTROYED THE CAPACITY TO DELIVER BASIC HEALTH AND EDUCATION SERVICES DISRUPTED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND DERAILED TRADE AND OTHER VITAL COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 4 WHILE NEAR TERM PROSPECTS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PEACE AGREEMENT ARE GOOD LARGE SCALE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE NEEDS WILL PERSIST FOR SEVERAL YEARS EVEN AFTER AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED IDPS REFUGEES AND OTHER POPULATIONS WILL REQUIRE SUPPORT TO RETURN TO THEIR COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN AND RECONSTRUCT THEIR LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS IT IS FURTHER ANTICIPATED THAT THE OPENING OF AREAS PREVIOUSLY INACCESSIBLE TO RELIEF AGENCIES WILL BRING TO LIGHT NEW URGENT HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AMONG POPULATIONS NEGLECTED AND ISOLATED BY THE PROTRACTED CONFLICT OTHER POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH WILL REQUIRE SUSTAINED SUPPORT FROM OFDA AND OTHERS FOR A RANGE OF WATER SHELTER PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SECURITY NEEDS 5 HUMANITARIAN CONDITIONS IN DARFUR AND RED SEA STATES REMAIN A MAJOR CONCERN IN THE NORTHERN ZONE ALTHOUGH GOOD RAINS THIS YEAR HAVE EASED DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN KORDOFAN AND DARFUR MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF THE LIBERATION MOVEMENT SLM IN NORTH AND DAREUR AS WELL As TRIBAL CONFLICTS HAVE DISPLACED MORE THAN 120 000 PEOPLE DISPLACED POPULATIONS HAVE MISSED THE CURRENT CROPPING SEASON AND BECOME MORE VULNERABLE AND DEPENDENT ON OTHERS FOR THEIR SURVIVAL IN RED SEA STATE DROUGHT REMAINS A SERIOUS THREAT 6 IN FY 2003 INITIATED PROGRAMMING IN SUDAN THAT CAN BE EXPANDED IN FY 2004 IN RESPONSE TO PROGRESS TOWARDS A PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOS AND THE SPLM OTI HAS SUPPORTED ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE PEACE INITIATIVES ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF THE NASCENT SOUTHERN SUDANESE JUDICIARY AND INCREASE SUDANESE ACCESS TO NEWS AND INFORMATION 7 CONTINUED FLEXIBLE TRANSITION INITIATIVE TI FUNDING TO SUCH ACTIVITIES WOULD ALLOW THE USG TO CONTINUE ITS POSITIVE PROMOTION OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL PEACE PROCESSES SUCH SUPPORT HELPS MITIGATE SOME OF THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE CIVIL STRIFE WHICH HAS LEFT SUDAN IN A STATE OF CHRONIC HUMANITARIAN NEED AN INVESTMENT IN LOCAL CAPACITIES TO MANAGE AND EVEN END CONFLICT AND ESTABLISH GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTICES WILL HOPEFULLY POSITION SUDAN ON A PATH TO GREATER STABILITY FOOD SECURITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THEREBY REDUCING USG SPENDING ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TI FUNDING WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THE GOAL OF ESTABLISHING A FOUNDATION FOR A JUST AND DURABLE PEACE WITH BROAD PARTICIPATION BY THE SUDANESE PEOPLE PEACE IN SUDAN WILL PROMOTE SECURITY AND STABILITY IN THE REGION ALSO A HIGH USG PRIORITY 8 IN LIGHT OF THE ABOVE CDA GERARD GALLUCCI RE- DECLARES EXISTENCE OF A COMPLEX HUMANITARIAN DISASTER AND REQUESTS CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM OFDA AND OTI TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND EACILITATE TRANSITION T0 PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT GALLUCCI                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu