House of Commons - International Development

Select Committee on International Development Minutes of Evidence

Supplementary Memorandum for the Department for International Development

1. You wrote to Barbara Kelly on 9 July asking her to let the Committee have a number of items which were referred to in the oral evidence, given at the hearing on 24 June. Accordingly I enclose the following:

(i) World Food Programme information on Sudan flight operations (Qq 12-13).

(ii) A list of contacts between DFID and various organisations and agencies in respect of the current crisis. (Qq 36 refers).

2. You also asked whether DFID heard of the UN famine warnings before the draft UN appeal for Sudan and particularly whether the Operation Life-line Sudan (OLS) documents identified the problem. OLS Southern sector issues a weekly report. This appears on the "Relief Web". I enclose copies of all the weekly reports from the end of September until the draft appeal appeared, plus the monthly report dated 31 December². You will see that a possible famine in Bahr el Ghazal is not identified. The reason is that Sudan, particularly southern Sudan, faces chronic problems every year. This year has been so devastating because agencies were unable to reach the vulnerable in February and March due to the ban on flights.

3. DFID has pressed WFP to provide frequently updated information on the status of the relief operation to Southern Sudan, to which we are a major contributor. As a result, WFP has begun to issue a daily bulletin; I enclose a copy dated 9 July³. The Committee may want to consider whether Members should receive copies; contact points in WFP are given at the end of the Bulletin.

WFP Information on Sudan Flight Operation (Qq12-13)

1 February 1998

WFP had one C-130 and one Buffalo aircraft in operation from 2 February with a potential of delivery of 1,500 Mts per month.

On 4 February, the Government of Sudan banned all flights to Bahr el Ghazal claiming it was unsafe for aid workers to fly into the region wracked by renewed fighting between Government and rebel forces. Heavy fighting actually broke out on 28 January when Kuanyin Kerubino Bol who had been fighting on the Government's side for several years switched sides again and attacked an army garrison. On 8 February, the C-130 was denied permission on same grounds to fly to Leer Upper Nile but this restriction was lifted on 11 February.

On 25 February, WFP was authorised to resume flights to Bahr El Ghazal (BEG) but only to the following four locations, Adet, Ajiep, Pakuor and Akuem. Flights to these four locations of Bahr El Ghazal resumed on 26 February with both aircraft.

WFP Operations in February

C-130 51 flights including 8 to Bahr El Ghazal delivering 762.3 Mts

Buffalo 54 flights including 11 to BEG delivering a tonnage of 404.2 Mts

Road convoy to Mapel delivered 100 Mts on 22 February

2 March 1998

Restrictions imposed in February were still applicable in March with only four locations in Bahr El Ghazal being cleared for OLS flights.

Operation in March

C-130 73 flights delivering a total of 1,089.6 Mts

Buffalo 54 flights delivering a total of 369.2 Mts

3 April 1998

On 5 April clearance was given by the Government of Sudan for flights to all destinations in southern Sudan except four locations not located in Bahr El Ghazal. Flights immediately resumed to cleared locations and application was again submitted for clearance of a second C-130 by the Government. Assessments of needs in the newly cleared locations were immediately conducted.

On 24 April WFP received clearance to operate a second C-130 with the condition that this aircraft would be based in El Obeid from 15 May. Decision was immediately made to switch a C-130 used by WFP for Kenya/Somalia floods emergency to the Sudan operations. This aircraft started operations into Sudan on 28 April.

On 27 April in view of initial results of the assessments, application for clearance for five C-130 aircraft was submitted to the Sudanese Government with the aim of delivering 6,500 Mts during the month of May.

Operations in April 1998

C-130 57 flights for total deliveries of 806.67 Mts

Buffalo 53 flights for total deliveries of 358.2 Mts

4 May 1998

On Sunday 3 May clearance for five C-130s—four from Lokichokio and one from El Obeid—was granted by the Government of Sudan. A third C-130 was positioned at Loki on 6 May while a fourth aircraft was contracted for arrival at Loki on 8 May.

Temporary closure of the road between Nairobi and Lokichokio caused by floods and washed out bridges in the Lokichar area prevented aircraft from being fully operational during two weeks due to the resulting interruption of both the food and fuel pipeline. Positioning of the fourth aircraft was therefore delayed until 14 May.

Poor weather conditions and lead time necessary for hiring, training and positioning of additional Food Monitors—which number increased from 23 early May to 41 early June—further hampered air operations resulting in actual deliveries reaching only 3,800 Mts in May against the 6,500 Mts targeted.

5 June 1998

Operations of a C-130 from El Obeid finally started on 7 June when required construction works of a dedicated apron were completed by the Sudanese Authorities. WFP Khartoum submitted during the first week of June an application to the Sudanese Government to authorise the use of military C-130s of the Belgian Air Force as delivery of the fifth commercial C-130 expected on 5 June was delayed by the supplier and all the possibilities to find the replacement aircraft on the commercial market had been exhausted. The Government of Sudan reverted only on 26 June with a negative response.

In the meantime, monthly delivery requirements have been revised with targeted monthly deliveries estimated at 10,270 Mts between July and October including 9,576 Mts by air. In view of revised requirements, plans have been made for increasing the aircraft capacity by adding more aircraft operating from two additional bases, Khartoum and Nairobi.

Application for flight clearances was submitted during third week of June to the Government of Sudan for the following fleet arrangement and potential airlift capacity:

Khartoum 2 Ilyushin 76s 1,800 Mts

Nairobi 2 Ilyushin 76s 1,800 Mts

Lokichokio 4 C-130s/3 Buffalo 4,800 Mts

El Obeid 2 C-130s 2,000 Mts

Verbal flight clearance for above fleet arrangement was given by the Government of Sudan on 25 June and written clearance communicated on 5 July. Two IL 76 aircraft from Aviation Complete and two IL-76 aircraft from Aviation Assistance which had been held on stand-by pending receipt of the written clearance are due to be positioned during the current week. Giving five to seven days for the IL-76 to be fully operational in the south Sudan theatre, this would mean that 10 days have been lost or 1,200 Mt less on estimated deliveries for July.

WFP air Operations in June 1998

C-130 261 flights including 72 from El Obeid for delivery of 4,180 Mts

Buffalo 57 flights for delivery of 387 Mts

6 July 1998

Two additional C-130s now being offered by a commercial operator, Transafrik, have been booked by WFP for operations from El Obeid. One aircraft is due to be positioned on 10 July while the second will be available one week later. This would bring the total fleet of commercial C-130s to seven aircraft, thus giving the possibility to have six aircraft operating at any given time from both Lokichokio and El Obeid.

*Note

WFP has shared with the Relief Community, on a continuous basis, either during periodic meetings of through press releases, all information relative to both flight clearances and fleet arrangements.

Contacts between DFID/UN Agencies/NGOS (Q36)

DFID is in regular (where necessary daily) contact with UN agencies and NGOs operating in Sudan. Our contacts are at a variety of levels. Details of recent contacts when Sudan has been discussed are set out below, together with information on regular briefing material issued on Sudan. The information which comes from these contacts supplements the regular reporting we receive from our Embassy in Khartoum, the British High Commission in Nairobi and our Relief and Rehabilitation Field Manager:

The UN Office of the Co-ordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Annual Consolidated Appeals—issued in February (draft in November)

Integrated Regional Information Network for Central and Eastern Africa—regular reports

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs—

Deputy UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs—25 and 29 June

Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS)

Weekly briefing of donors in Khartoum and Nairobi

The International Advisory Committee meeting—18 May 1998

Head of Southern Sector—30 June

OLS Southern sector update—approximately weekly

OLS—Northern Bahr el Ghazal emergency sitreps

UNICEF

Executive Director—9 July

Director, Office of Emergency Programmes—24 and 25 June

Deputy Executive Director of Programmes (UK Committee)—30 April and 8 June

FAO

Irregular Bulletins

FEWS (Food Aid Early Warning System)

Regular country reports and bulletins

World Food Programme (WFP)

Executive Director—9 June

Annual Cereal Crop Assessments (with FAO)—usually issued December

WFP updates on the Sudan Relief operation—daily

Director Resources and External Relations Division and all staff working on

Sudan programme—25 June

WFP emergency reports—weekly

NGOs

AGHCD staff are in very regular contact with NGOs operating in Sudan both at HQ and field level. In addition, formal meetings were held with NGOs to discuss Sudan on:

19 March — SCF

11 April — OXFAM; SCF; ARE

8 June — Christian Aid; OXFAM; SCF; CAFOD Action Aid

10 June — Christian Aid, SCF; OXFAM; CAFOD; World Vision; MSF; Farm Africa, British Red Cross SOS Sahel; CARE; and Tear Fund

The following NGOs issue regular updates on the situation in Sudan:

MSF Updates from time to time

OXFAM Emergency updates

FRC/ICRC Weekly News,

ACT (Action by Churches Together)—Bulletins

SCIO (Sudan Catholic Information Service)—Monthly

WVI (World Vision International)—weekly updates

CDRA (Adventists Disaster Relief Agency)—irregular bulletins