Summary
Content
UNJLC SUDAN BULLETIN 3
26 March 2004
The aim of the UNJLC bulletins is to provide a concise weekly overview of UNJLC activities and the present logistical situation in regard to the operations in Sudan. In addition sector/country specific reports will be released regularly in order to provide in-depth coverage of priority areas.
The UNJLC produces a weekly bulletin on logistics related activities and issues relating to the Sudan operation. To subscribe, please send an email to registration.sudan@unjlc.org with ' Subscribe Sudan' in the subject line.
Content
NORTH SECTOR - Khartoum:
Darfur
1. At the request of the RC/HC and UNCT Khartoum, UNJLC was tasked with being the focal point for logistics coordination for the Darfur emergency. The first logistics coordination meeting for Darfur will be held 25 March following the regular Southern Sudan logistics coordination meeting.
2. Overall humanitarian conditions in Darfur remain poor. The UNJLC was specifically tasked to develop logistics plans for the rainy season. This includes estimates of transport and storage requirements for supplies to be delivered before the rainy season and for needs during the rainy season. FAO says that for their planning purposes the rains in western Sudan will start mid-June.
3. The general OCHA planning figures are 1,000,000 war affected – 750,000 IDPs and 250,000 host-population. WFP’s planning figure for food assistance is 1.18 million. Further estimates will be required to establish NFI needs particularly for those IDPs that will live in camp or camp-like situations.
4. Surface transport to Nyala is satisfactory; most is sent by truck some by train. Nyala to ElGenina is generally satisfactory but with frequent security related delays. Cargo for Al Fasher travels via Nyala because the direct road from El Obeid (En Nahud to El Obeid) is closed because of security concerns. The Nyala to Al Fasher is officially open but with very frequent security problems and can not carry the volume required. WFP is now arranging for air transport of 1,000 MTs of food from El Obeid to Al Fasher.
5. Local transport at each of the three locations is marginally satisfactory but rates are increasing because of security problems. The long-haul roads usually remain mostly open during the rainy season but secondary transport can be problematic. Secondary transport will become more of an issue when volumes of humanitarian cargo increase and roads conditions deteriorate in the rainy season.
6. No air drops are planned for the Darfur emergency but could be considered later. UNICEF says they have been chartering air cargo flights from Khartoum to locations in the Darfur. They did not know if their costs were less than WFP chartered flights and has not talked with WFP AirOps about this.
7. There is increasing embassy interest about conditions in the Darfur region. At principals meeting involving the embassies there was generally agreement that current GoS activities could be considered “ethnic cleansing”. Further efforts at the country level and a UN New York are expected in coming weeks.
8. It seems most likely that the Darfur region will become more critical in coming months. Currently most RC/HC/OCHA staff in the field is temporary secondments under OCHA’s usual emergency staffing arrangements. Most these will end within the next four weeks. OCHA is recruiting two officers for each of the three locations to led co-ordination efforts in the field. Given the logistics challenges in the area and the RC/HC/OCHA lead agency model being implemented an increase in UNJLC support to include one UNJLC logistics officer at each of the three field locations may be required.
South Sudan IDP Movement:
9. Meetings with IOM and other agencies continue. With the arrival of additional IOM and UNJLC staff it is hoped that route survey exercise can be started in coming weeks. OHCA reports IDPs returning to the southern Sudan (Northern Bahr Al Ghazal) from the southern Darfur area but this seems mostly related to worsening conditions in Darfur.
10. The WFP barge expert started his work this week. He is very knowledgeable about Nile Rive barge operations from his work on the river in the 1990s. He briefed the IOM and the JLC staff on specific issues. He will also brief the general southern Sudan logistics meeting.
11. Based on some very rough calculations and large assumptions, it seems difficult to see passenger barge transport being able to carry a large number of returning IDPs even if supplied with an estimated USD 10 M in additional equipment. Even assuming road transport to Malakal to reduce the barge cycle time, the poor river conditions between Malakal and Juba make the trip between them slow and problematic. The barge expert will review this more closely and come up with recommendations for further action. For cargo movement barge transport will be able to make a significant contribution to movements from the north to the south.
12. IOM circulated a paper with further cost estimates for IDP purchased transport by bus/truck to the south. Their work included meeting with major bus transporters and travel agents. The bus transportation system from the north to the south is well organized and there are a lot of buses in the north but it is not clear the total volume of people that can be carried. IOM is continuing its research.
UNJLC Staffing:
13. Mr Peter Krouwel arrived 25 March 04. His travel permit has been applied for and once it is received he will begin field trips. Waiting for this he will meet with NGOs, donors, and GoS counter-parts.
SOUTH – SECTOR Nairobi
Air operation
Presently the OLS air fleet in Lokichoggio consists of 15 Aircraft contracted by WFP, two aircraft of MAF and one owned by SCF-UK. In addition, two WFP aircraft are based in el-Obeid. Following is a list of the aircraft presently operating under OLS:
6 Caravan WFP
2 Caravan MAF
1 Caravan SCF-UK
2 Buffalo WFP
2 Antonov 12 WFP
1 Hercules C-130 WFP
2 Twin Otters DC 6 WFP
1 Dacota
1 DHC 8
1 IL 76 in el-Obeid WFP
1 Antonov 12 in el-Obeid WFP
Under the OLS operation, 120 airports in Southern Sudan are presently being served, Rumbek alone has a daily average of 20 landings and starts.
All air fuel for the OLS air operation in Southern Sudan is transported and stored in drums by the UN. Whilst Rumbek and Yambio are supplied by road from Uganda, and Kauda by road from al-Obeid, all other locations where WFP stores fuel are supplied by air from Lokichoggio (these include Akon, Bawac, Langken, Mabior, Nyadin, Pulmok, and Malualkon).
SCF-UK has air fuel stored in Akon, Namapel and Niyadin.
In Lokichoggio, two private companies have fuel storage capacities of 700 cm for Jet A1, 80 cm for diesel (Caltex) and 764 cm for Jet A1, 30 cm for diesel (Total). At present the (duty free) prices in this location range between USD 0.44 and USD 0.46 for Jet A1 and between KSh 43.5 and 43.9 for diesel.
WFP has storage tents installed at the Lokichoggio airport (18 tents with dimensions of 24m x 10m), where Care has one storage tent as well. UNICEF, taking care of the transportation of cargo to and from the airport for other agencies and NGOs owns one solid warehouse of 25m x 50m (as well as one storage tent) in the UN compound. The warehouse can, when sufficient space available, also be used by other agencies and NGOs requiring storage facilities.
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 optimise the logistics capabilities of humanitarian organisations 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 channelled through WFP. The UNJLC project document for Sudan can be viewed on the UNJLC website (www.unjlc.org).