Sudan: UNJLC Darfur Bulletin 63, 13 Jun 2005

1. Security

North Darfur: Although the security situation remains tense in North Darfur, there have been no reported incidents over the past week.

South Darfur: The United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) continue to assess the three main truck routes in South Darfur for UN movement. The following corridors remain UN No-Go: (Source: UNDSS)

Nyala - Manawashi - El Fasher

Nyala - Kass - Nertitie - Zallingi - El Geneina

Nyala - Labado - Muhajaria - Ed Daen

West Darfur: No incidents have been reported on the major supply routes to El Geneina from El Fasher and Nyala. All routes remain UN GO. Two incidents were reported on the road from El Geneina to Habilla. The alternative route of El Geneina - Sisi - Mornei - Habilla is therefore recommended for those travelling to Habilla.

2. COMMON NFI PIPELINE

South Darfur: During the past week, NFI's have been dispatched and transport arranged for distributions to areas in South Darfur that will be most inaccessible during the rainy season. Full NFI basket distributions that were pending due to lack of various items have now been released upon receipt of the UNHCR-donated plastic sheets and soap.

Despite recent donations, plastic sheeting stocks remain at a critically low level. UNJLC and implementing partners are concerned that there will not be enough plastic sheeting available to meet the needs for Kalma camp or the area around Kass. (Source: UNJLC)

West Darfur: UNJLC and implementing partners met last week to discuss how the distribution of soap could be improved in West Darfur. Agencies agreed that instead of increasing the quantity per house hold, the focus should be to distribute soap in conjunction with health education as well as to locations that currently receive no distributions. UNJLC will contact participants of the Health Sector to coordinate for future distributions. (Source: UNJLC)

3. SURFACE TRANSPORT

Agencies are reminded that equipment or NFI's to be loaded in Darfur for delivery in outlying areas must all be available at one location for uplift. Confirmation of delivery destinations must be given to CARE before the trucks depart to ensure that goods are delivered as scheduled. (Source: CARE)

4. AIR OPERATIONS

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Khartoum issued a directive to all airports in Sudan reinstating a landing fee charge for all aircraft landing in Sudan. Aircraft owned by UN agencies or INGO's are exempt from the fees however private aircraft chartered for humanitarian purposes are required to pay. (Source: CAA El Fasher)

The NFI aircraft remains out of the country for major planned maintenance. Lack of funding for the NFI air transport service poses a challenge to the humanitarian community. The NFI User Group agreed that if funding becomes available to keep the free air transport service running, no more vehicles will be transported by air. Additionally, UNHAS is likely to decrease the amount of NFI flight rotations to three per week. A final flight to Nyala and El Fasher will run on Wednesday June 15th to clear the backlog of pending NFI items.

North Darfur: Four international OFDA flights arrived in El Fasher last week from Sharjah carrying 870 bales of blankets each. Two consignments were sent to Nyala and the other two to El Geneina. The last OFDA donated flight carrying 870 bales of blankets for El Fasher was delayed due to a fuel shortage in Khartoum. It is expected to arrive 9 June. (Source: UNJLC)

Effective June 1st, El Fasher airport will charge an entry fee of SDD 4,000 for all trucks used to offload cargo from aircraft. Only those trucks that are owned by a UN agency or INGO are exempt. (Source: CAA El Fasher)

South Darfur: The Nyala runway is open for all traffic and has confirmed that the IL76 that has been transporting OFDA-donated NFI cargo can now land without constraints. The CAA advised that they will not resume repairs to the runway for at least two months. (Source: CAA)

5. FUEL PRICES

West Darfur: Predictions of heavy seasonal rainfall for the next three weeks in West Darfur may place constraints on fuel supplies in West Darfur. The weather, combined with the closure of a refinery in Khartoum, is expected to result in a local fuel shortage consequently driving fuel prices up in June and July.

6. LOGISTICS ASSESSMENTS

West Darfur: WFP will provide a warehouse management training session for INGO staff in El Geneina during the second week in July. Those agencies who previously expressed interest can expect to receive an invitation.

ACTED confirmed that the work on the two transport corridors in South West Darfur is expected to be completed by next month.

AR International has expressed interest in establishing the much needed work shop for light vehicles and generators in El Geneina. The work shop would offer spare parts and lubricants and provide services such as maintenance and repair.

7. MISCELLANEOUS

The convoys of 19 ECHO donated vehicles destined for El Geneina reached the capital without incident on June 4th. The journey from El Fasher took three days. The 31 vehicles destined for Nyala left El Fasher on June 2nd and arrived the same day without incident. (Source: UNDSS)

ABOUT UNJLC

UNJLC is an inter-agency facility reporting during an emergency to the Humanitarian Coordinator and overall to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Its mandate is to coordinate and optimize the logistics capabilities of humanitarian organizations in large-scale emergencies. UNJLC operates under the custodianship of WFP who is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the Centre. UNJLC is funded from voluntary contributions channeled through WFP. More information on UNJLC in general and on the South Asia operation can be viewed on the UNJLC website (www.unjlc.org)