Bulletin 11 UNJLC Sudan

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• SUDAN/DARFUR
• Introduction to Shelter/NFI Logistics Arrangements
• Future Logistics Concerns
• SOUTH SUDAN
• Air Operations
• Supply
• Transport Sector

SUDAN/DARFUR

There have been no significant changes in operations in Darfur. Overall operations remain well below what is required.

WFP reports that after a slow start to the month their operations have increased.  As of 25 May, they report they have distributed to 360,000 people but with distribution going on now and in the coming days, they should cover about 570,000 people with 7,000 MTs of food.  This is still below their target for the month of 800,000 and below the estimated need in Darfur of 1.18 million.  WFP also has more of their distributions scheduled for latter parts of each month.  WFP reports extensive delays with the railway to Nyala and have increased trucking and air cargo operations to make up the difference.

A total of nine flights from USAID have been received.  There are no further scheduled  USAID flights but local discussions with USAID indicate that they send more NFI (mostly blankets) once the first large-scale distributions have been completed.  The first WFP Rome chartered flight arrived 26 May, three more are scheduled with Italian government (ex-Italy) and DFID (ex-Nairobi) non-food items.  This first flight included the first UNJLC vehicle for operations in Darfur.  The WFP chartered flights have been exceptionally difficult to arrange with frequent schedule changes and delayed receipt of documents for customs clearance.

In Nyala at the request of OCHA, UNJLC assisted in the technical site inspection of two locations, one a current IDP settlement/camp and one new location proposed by the local government.

UNICEF has not yet signed an MOU with CARE for the receipt and transport of NFI to be purchased by UNICEF for distribution to the IDPs, it is hoped that this will be signed 27 May.  The EU has indicated that they will be willing to fund UNICEF with Euro 2 million once some programmeing issues, including the MOU with CARE, are completed.  UNICEF has some NFI (the items shown in the stock tables) from other programmes that they are re-directing to Darfur.  CARE has received 25,000 locally purchased UNICEF Jerry cans in to their Nyala warehouse but UNICEF has not agreed to the release of these until their MOU with CARE is completed.  This is unfortunate as these Jerry cans could have been included in the El Geneina distributions happening this week.

The first large scale distribution of common line NFI is scheduled to start 27 May in El Geneina (Mornei) with SCF(USA) with USAID plastic sheeting and blankets.  Further distributions under the same arrangements are schedule for Sisi Camps on the 1 June and in Kerenek 3 June. All of the NFI was transported from Nyala on trucks hired by CARE, there were no problems en-route.  Because the items for El Geneina have left CARE warehouses, they are considered “distributed” on the attached NFI summary table (see the table notes).

The overall priority for NFI remains western Darfur – El Geneina, next Nyala then El Fasher.  Distribution capacity is most developed in El Fasher and the area has been partly supplied by NGOs (particularly ICRC).  El Geneina has some of the more remote areas and areas that will be most difficult to assist during the rainy season.  Nyala remains problematic with what seems to be great needs but extremely limited distribution capacity.  It is the most southern the rains will be there before the other locations (there has already been some rain in southern Darfur, see Darfur Rain Monitoring and Forecast from FEWSNET for details).  The UNJLC logistics officer in Nyala will be working with OCHA and NGOs trying to increase distribution capacity.

The UNJCL has two international officers in the field, one in Nyala and one in El Geneina.  Two additional officers are arriving in Khartoum in the next week.

The Government of Sudan announced new arrangements for visa and for travel permits.  Visas will now be issued within 48 hours and the travel permit system has been replaced by a “notification” procedure 48 hours in advance for in-country movements to the state capitals.  A large number of visas have been issued in recent days.  The first people traveling under the 48-hour notification system arrived in field locations yesterday with no problems.  Note, the travel from the state capitals to the field requires the approval of the local government and is not directly covered under the notification system.

UNHCR announced that they may be participating the Darfur IDP programme.  Meetings chaired by OCHA with UNHCR, UNJLC, UNOPS, and IOM have been held to review possible arrangements for this assistance.  It is felt that UNHCR’s knowledge of camp management issues will be of considerable importance.  UNHCR has indicated that they may be able to begin field some international staff in June.

Introduction to Shelter/NFI Logistics Arrangements

Overall management of IDP programmes by the UN (and to a lesser extend NGOs) is difficult.  This is particularly true when the IDP situation is the result of host government actions.  While for, say, a refugee programme, the responsibilities of the host government and specific UN agencies are clear, this is not the case for IDP programmes.

For food, WFP has primary responsibility and is by in large able to use existing methodologies and management to assist IDPs.  For shelter and NFI (and general mangement of IDP settlements/camps) there is no equivelent to UNHCR’s role in refugee programmes.

The arrangements for the supply of shelter and NFI to the IDPs in Darfur reflects these complexities.  There are too many players, lack of clear chains of command, and diverse funding systems.  This is the primary reason for the delay in the systematic large scale supply of shelter and NFI to the IDPs in Darfur.

Overall policy for the supply and distribution of shelter and NFI supplies is under OCHA Khartoum and the Khartoum level Shelter and NFI committee.  This committee establishes the overall needs and distribution policies.  This arrangement will in the future be duplicated in each of the three state capitals.

The shelter and NFI requirements were established 28 March and these requirements are still used in all planning documents.  The desire is to have central procurement of those items that can be most easily procured by the UN through standard commercial contracts.  Other items such as locally available grass mats and special purpose items will be purchased by the NGOs directly with their own funds.  Later versions of the results of this first meeting are included in most of the shelter/NFI documents.

OCHA, following the guidance of the committee, issues a distribution plan to the UNJLC.  The UNJLC translates this plan in to specific “action requests” to CARE.

CARE is the Common Logistics Agency for Darfur (see scope of work on UNJLC web site).  Under this arrangement, CARE is responsible for receiving in-kind donations and purchases (in the future by UNICEF and perhaps others) of shelter and NFI supplies   CARE has opened four warehouse for this purpose, one in each of the three state capitals (CARE’s El Fasher warehouse opened this week) and in El Obeid.  Under action requests from the UNJLC, CARE arranges for the transport of the supplies between the state capitals and from the state capital warehouses to distribution points in field where the items are turned over to the distribution agency (typically the NGO covering the area).  CARE is responsible for reporting of all of their activities to the UNJLC.  Fortunately CARE has been able to field some experienced international staff (including the head sent from the CARE HQs in the USA).  So far this has been going well.

While CARE receives action request from the UNJLC, funding to CARE comes directly from donors (only USAID so far) based on the scope of work and budget calculations by the UNJLC and CARE.

Extensive discussions were held concerning CARE’s role after delivery to the distribution agency.  In the absence of any single agency responsible for IDP assistance it is not clear who replaces the role of a UNHCR field officer to monitor and report on the distributions.  CARE’s position is clear, they will take care of the logistics of the “whole-sale” movement of supplies and will report on what they do but further reporting is the responsibility of the receiving distribution agencies.  USAID has field a DART to monitoring of USAID donated items there is no equivalent of this for UNICEF purchased items.  This was one of the key issues delaying the MOU between UNICEF and CARE.

All of the initial distributions of shelter and NFI supplies to IDPs will be one-off items but secondary distribution of some items (sanitary material, soap, cooking fuel, etc.) will be needed and a more robust distribution and reporting system will be required.

Future Logistics Concerns

As the programme in Darfur develops further it is expected that there will be an increase in logistics support requirements.  These could possibly include: a dedicated UN fleet of trucks, light vehicle workshops (and supply of spare parts), minor road repair/camp landscaping capacity, generator support, and possibly common diesel fuel supply.  All of these are being reviewed by the Khartoum level logistics meeting.  Agencies that may fill some of these needs include UNOPS and GTZ (scheduled to arrive next week for an assessment of possible role for them).  All of these issues will become greater if the UN opens offices outside of the state capitals (WFP is already planning on doing so, other agencies will have similar needs particularly in southern Darfur).

SOUTH SUDAN

Air Operations

UNJLC has finalised its ‘Consolidated Overview of Humanitarian Air Services in Preparation of Post War Phase in Sudan and Possible Intervention in the Darfurs’ report. This report analyses the current air services operating in Sudan and makes a series of recommendations for their adaptation into an inter-agency air service equal to the anticipated rise in demand following a peace deal. The full report is now available for download  here at however, the executive summary of the report is outlined below:

‘The overview of the Aviation Specialist (AS) was required to make recommendations for drafting a plan to adapt the existing aviation systems in South Sudan to an inter-agency aviation service, anticipating higher demands during the post war phase. Nevertheless, because of the increasing humanitarian needs in Western Sudan, the scope of the overview was widened to include options for supporting humanitarian operations in Darfur. A vast number of Agencies and individuals were consulted during the overview and their inputs have been noted.

A strong Humanitarian system is presently in place that is being conducted from the North (Khartoum and from the South (Lokichoggio). These systems vary in accounting as the system in the North is done on a “free” basis (SO and EMOP) whilst the system in the South (Targeted Aircraft Funding-TAF) is on a full cost recovery basis. The full cost recovery system has the effect that costs per routing can vary from day to day. The North supports all Humanitarian Agencies for passenger movements and a parcel service, whilst the South supports those Agencies affiliated to the Operation Life Line Sudan (OLS) for passenger and non-food items movement. The two systems, from Khartoum and Lokichoggio, essentially run independently from each other.

Commercial Aviation assistance in Sudan is limited and not very reliable except from the South (Lokichoggio). The flights from Lokichoggio however are, as far as can be ascertained, not conducted in accordance with accepted international aviation regulations. A capacity to move medium to heavy lift cargo from the South is also restricted in the present commercial market. The commercial market indicated that they will rapidly expand their services into Sudan as soon as the situation normalises and security aspects improve.

The South moves approximately 20,000 passengers per annum and the North approximately 7,000. In order to generate this service the North has an average of 4 light aircraft on contract whilst the South has 12 light and medium aircraft on contract. Various other Humanitarian Agencies also operate aircraft in Sudan such as ICRC, MAF, SCF-UK and Samaritans Purse.

In general the Humanitarian community expressed their satisfaction with the service currently being offered. Some concerns were noted and recommendations in this regard had been formulated. These include issues relating to transparency, prioritisation, fixed cost concerns and coordination forums. The majority of these UN related issues would be alleviated with the establishment of a Users Group Committee (UGC) in implementation of WFP Directive OD2004/001 dated 13 Jan 2004.

The majority of Agencies foresee an expansion of their programmes provided the peace process moves forward and peace is maintained.

Other concerns voiced by NGO’s were the restriction from the GoS with regards to clearances and access to some locations. It is the view of the AS that these concerns will be addressed during the formalisation of the peace framework. The GoS also indicated that the clearance process will be simplified after the peace framework had been formalised. A number of stake holders voiced concern with regards to prioritisation and access between the Humanitarian Community and the Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) once DPKO is deployed. It is recommended that a coordination process takes place between DPKO, UNJLC and HAS on procedures for de-conflicting humanitarian and military traffic.

A major concern that had been identified is the lack of sufficient Airspace Management in Sudan. This includes, but is not limited to flight control, flight following, Search and Rescue, Air traffic control at airfields and general aviation safety. This is the responsibility of the Government of Sudan. However it must be noted that the Sudan Government and the authority in South Sudan have very limited capacity in this regard. It is recommended that assistance be sought from DPKO as well as other Member States in order to create sufficient capacity thereby ensuring that aviation safety is not jeopardised in the post war phase.

A contingency plan is in place for a possible break down of the peace process as well as intervention into the Darfurs. The present aviation assets are sufficient to cope with such a requirement in the short term. It is recommended that the situation be monitored very closely and sufficient additional air assets be acquired if required.

Various roads are being rehabilitated by UN WFP as well as UNMAS. This will create new opportunities to move commodities by road thereby reducing transport costs. The barge option for the Nile is also being studied and this may become a reality in September 2004. Once again this will also reduce costs and give access to previously inaccessible areas. It is envisaged that there will be an initial increase in demand for aviation assistance to comply with the increased demand. Gradually the increased demand on Humanitarian aviation capacity, mainly WFP assets, will reduce as the roads become more accessible and commercial transport by land, water and air is being established.

It is foreseen that a gradual migration from UN Air assistance to commercial air assistance will take place as the commercial market develop. It is also envisaged that the Operation out of Lokichoggio will slowly migrate into Sudan, possibly Juba or Rumbek. Various recommendations are formulated concerning security as airfields, general aviation safety aspects and maintenance. These are discussed in detail later in the report.

At present more than 300 airstrips are in use in Sudan. The majority of these strips are not certified or licensed, nor are they deemed safe. In an emergency Operation such as this, extreme care is to be taken to avoid any mishaps and incidents. It is recommended that identified airstrips be improved where possible to enhance overall safety. A reference guide (Jungle Jeppesen) is being compiled in order to assist aircrew during planning. Such a reference guide will be for information purposes only and should not be considered as a legally approved aviation document.

It is also recommended that an interim mutual Search and Rescue plan be formulated in cooperation between the national CAA, ICAO, DPKO and WFP.

It is recommended that liaison at senior level takes place between DPKO and UNWFP in order to coordinate and assist each other in Aviation matters for the post war phase in Sudan.

It is the AS conclusion that a dedicated Air Service will be vital for supporting humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, in particular during the initial post-war phase. As the situation evolves and the aviation safety and security environment improve, the need for such an Air Service may decrease gradually. In addition, the lack of security and the increasing need for transporting humanitarian workers into the Darfurs may require a significant augmentation of the passenger air transport capacity in Khartoum. Therefore it is recommended that the necessary actions are taken to adapt the current services into a centrally managed common United Nations Humanitarian Air Service for both, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and the post-war phase in South Sudan. This Service should consist of a network of one fixed operations base in Khartoum and at least one more fixed operations base in the South from where light aircraft are dispatched to field destinations. It is further recommended that attention be given to fixed scheduling, fixed costing, transparency and the urgent implementation of WFP Directive OD2004/001 dated 13 Jan 2004.’

Supply

UNJLC has acquired a ist of suppliers based in Kenya. While the list is not exhaustive, it encompasses many areas from foodstuffs to communications equipment. The list is now available for download from the UNJLC website.

Transport Sector

UNJLC has acquired information on indicative transport rates and transit times for destinations in Northern Sudan. The rates cover both a number of destinations from Port Sudan, and also routes from Khartoum to destinations in Darfur, Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, Blue Nile, and White Nile. A matrix of the rates is included below.

ABOUT UNJLC
UNJLC is an inter-agency facility reporting, in the current emergency, to the Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, 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 are responsible for the administrative and financial  management of the Centre. UNJLC is funded from voluntary contributions channeled through WFP. The UNJLC project document for Sudan can be viewed on this website.