/ 10 March 2009

UN scrambles to fill gaps in Darfur

The United Nations will try to fill life-threatening gaps left by Sudan’s expulsion of more than half the aid workers in Darfur but cannot replace their critical activities helping millions of displaced people in the conflict-wracked region, the UN humanitarian chief said on Monday.

John Holmes said the Sudanese government also doesn’t have the capacity to take over the work of 13 of the largest humanitarian organisations ordered to leave Darfur after the International Criminal Court ordered an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

While the UN continues to urge the Sudanese government to reverse its expulsion orders, Holmes said it is also looking ”at where the most critical life-threatening gaps actually are or may appear in the near future” — particularly in providing water, sanitation, healthcare and food, and in the slightly longer term providing shelter.

He said the UN will start working with the government ”to find out exactly where these gaps may lie”.

According to the latest UN figures, 7 610 people worked for the 13 aid groups — 308 international staff members and 7 302 Sudanese, mainly from Darfur, he said. They represent more than 50% of the roughly 14 000 humanitarian workers from 85 organisations that had been working in Darfur, including about 1 000 international staff, he said.

”This is a decision … which is likely to have a major impact on millions of people in Darfur, in particular, who are in need on a daily basis of life-saving humanitarian assistance,” Holmes said.

Last week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the relief agencies are key to maintaining a lifeline to 4,7-million people in Darfur. Holmes’ deputy, Catherine Bragg, added that the loss of the 13 NGOs would mean ”1,1-million people will be without food aid, 1,1-million will be without healthcare, and over one million will be without potable water.”

Holmes said the UN has been asking the Sudanese ”for justification for the action and we haven’t had any which would seem to us to be satisfactory”.

”I think it’s reasonably clear this was a political response to a decision which has got nothing to do with the UN and nothing to do with the NGOs,” he said.

He added that Ban may discuss the expulsions with Al-Bashir ”when it’s most likely to produce the right effect.”

The Sudanese government’s humanitarian agency said it has agreed with UN humanitarian officials to send a ”joint technical assessment mission” to evaluate the situation in Darfur following the expulsion of the 13 aid groups. The joint team will travel to Darfur on Wednesday, the agency said.

As examples of critical gaps that need to be filled, Holmes said, the UN is particularly concerned about a meningitis outbreak in the Nertiti camp for 33 000 displaced people in West Darfur and a possible meningitis outbreak in Kalma camp, which houses over 100 000 people in South Darfur, because the NGOs providing medical care have been expelled and a large-scale vaccination programme is needed.

There is also a problem with clean water for the Kalma camp because Oxfam, which has been expelled, maintained the pumping system and provided the fuel to run it, he said.

”It may not affect water delivery today, but it certainly will within a few days if the maintenance is not done, if the fuel is not provided,” he said.

Holmes, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, said he discussed the expulsions on Monday with representatives of UN agencies, the 13 non-governmental organizations ordered to leave, and some of the NGOs allowed to remain in Darfur.

The United Nations is ”very concerned about the way the decision has been implemented on the ground”, he said.

Assets of international NGOs have been confiscated including vehicles and computers, vital data for assistance to beneficiaries and food and non-food items, he said. There also have been cases of ”intimidatory behavior” by some Sudanese officials towards NGO staff facing expulsion, he said.

Holmes said one or two warehouses containing food from the UN World Food Programme which was going to be distributed by NGOs were also quickly seized by local Sudanese authorities. ”We have been assured that these assets will be returned to us quickly,” he said. – Sapa-AP