Sudan - NGO Expulsions Fact Sheet #6, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Note: The last fact sheet was dated April 6, 2009

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• On April 7, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) commenced the first food distribution in Kalma internally displaced person (IDP) camp in South Darfur since the early March expulsions of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Despite permitting the food distribution, IDP leaders continue the month-long refusal of additional humanitarian services, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• The Government of National Unity (GNU) Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) has approved the handover of all remaining Non-Food Item (NFI) Common Pipeline warehouses previously utilized by CARE to the U.N. Joint logistics Center (UNJLC). On April 7, UNJLC assumed custody of Khartoum-area warehouses, with handover of former CARE warehouses in El Obeid, El Geneina, and El Fasher planned for the coming days.

USAID/OFDA Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad: $25,338,485
USAID/FFP2 Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad: $373,030,800
State/PRM3 Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad: $36,995,375
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad: $435,364,660

CURRENT SITUATION

• According to international media reports, on April 9, Deputy Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Sudan Ameerah Haq confirmed the U.N.'s readiness to cooperate with the GNU to fill humanitarian gaps left by the NGO expulsions. However, DSRSG Haq noted that domestic NGOs will require significant time to increase capacity and that the U.N. is unable to address all of the necessary gaps in the interim.
• As of April 9, two international Aide Médicale Internationale staff members remain captive following the April 4 abduction of the staff from Ed al-Fursan locality in South Darfur. Unless current conditions improve, DSRSG Haq cautioned that continued instability and abductions may force remaining international NGO staff in Sudan to depart or reduce programming.
• In response to a request from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) deployed a field assessment team to provide technical support, coordinate with key stakeholders, and assist SRCS in the development of a humanitarian response strategy. During the month-long assessment, the IFRC team plans to assess the SRCS capacity to fill humanitarian gaps resulting from the early March expulsions of international humanitarian organizations and dissolution of national NGOs.
• On April 8, an interagency mission traveled to Foro Baranga, West Darfur, to assess sectors not included in the joint GNU-U.N. assessment and monitor health and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs. According to the U.N., IDPs expressed concerns regarding gaps left by the expulsions, particularly in the health, water, protection, and livelihoods sectors. The interagency mission identified SRCS to cover health needs in the area.

Food Assistance

• WFP and implementing partners have nearly completed emergency, stop-gap food distributions to meet the March and April food needs of Darfur beneficiaries in areas lacking food distribution partners following the early March NGO expulsions.
• On April 7, WFP commenced the first food distribution in Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur since the early March expulsions, following negotiations between humanitarian agencies and IDP leaders. According to OCHA, camp leaders only agreed to permit the distribution if conducted under WFP oversight.

Nutrition

• In South Darfur, WFP, UNICEF, and the State Ministry of Health recently signed a memorandum of understanding outlining roles and responsibilities to maintain feeding centers in Nyala, Kass, and Ed al-Fursan, where the NGO expulsions left significant gaps in nutrition monitoring and response programs.
• During the week of April 2, UNICEF provided temporary financial assistance to support national staff previously employed by expelled NGOs in reopening two feeding centers in West Darfur that had closed following the NGO expulsions. Resumption of activities at eight additional centers is expected in the coming week, according to OCHA.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

• According to OCHA, Sudanese government partners have limited capacity to assume sanitation and hygiene education programs previously conducted by expelled NGOs. In West Darfur, the GNU Office of Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) is currently managing water supplies in areas affected by the expulsions; however, OCHA reports that sanitation and hygiene education programs are limited or have ceased in many areas due to lack of capacity. UNICEF is working with GNU WES to identify potential staff to conduct hygiene promotion activities before the onset of the rainy season in May/June.

Logistics and Relief Commodities

• The GNU HAC's recent release of warehoused relief commodities in Khartoum and Nyala and agreement to handover other NFI Common Pipeline Commodities to UNJLC represent vital steps toward enabling the U.N. and partner humanitarian agencies to preposition relief commodities before the onset of Darfur's rainy season in May/June, provide for ongoing needs in IDP camps, and respond to recent and future population displacements.
• According to OCHA, UNJLC continues to work to identify an emergency transportation service provider to deliver stockpiled commodities to distribution sites, with humanitarian organizations currently transporting commodities as needed. Use of a common transportation partner typically reduces transportation costs, enables timely distributions of sizable quantities of relief commodities in the event of large-scale displacement, and mitigates security concerns associated with the frequent targeting of humanitarian vehicles.

USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

• The U.S. Government (USG) is the largest bilateral donor to Sudan and has contributed more than $4 billion for humanitarian programs in Sudan and eastern Chad since FY 2004.
• State/PRM has provided more than $152 million in humanitarian assistance in Sudan and eastern Chad in FY 2008 and to date in FY 2009.
• USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP have provided more than $1.1 billion in food and non-food humanitarian assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad in FY 2008 and to date in FY 2009. In addition, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) has provided more than $20 million in assistance to northern Sudan in FY 2008 and FY 2009. The expulsions eliminated approximately 54 percent of USAID/OFDA's humanitarian programs in Darfur, 40 percent of the delivery capacity of USAID/FFP's main partner, WFP, and shut down USAID/OTI's primary implementing partner PADCO-AECOM.