Conflict and expected poor harvest likely to result in emergency levels of food insecurity

Key messages

• About four million people currently face Stressed (IPC Phase 2) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity. Food insecurity is driven by conflict in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, Darfur, and Abeyi; ongoing lean season (May‐September) food shortages; poor rainfall in many areas of the country; and high food prices due to inflation and local currency devaluation.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N) continues in Blue Nile State and South Kordofan State, putting civilians at risk and causing further displacement.

• Humanitarian access in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states remains limited. Only national NGOs are currently able to operate in Blue Nile State, whilst only national NGOs and international NGOs operating through national staff maintain a presence in South Kordofan.

This report is produced by OCHA in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 03 - 10 October 2011. This will be the last OCHA Situation Report on Blue Nile and South Kordofan. OCHA will continue to report on Blue Nile and South Kordofan in its weekly Sudan Humanitarian Bulletins. If the situation changes dramatically and there is a need for more regular and more detailed reports on Blue Nile and South Kordofan, OCHA will resume these Situation Reports.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Key Points:

• Fighting has continued between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) forces in both Blue Nile and South Kordofan states over the past week.

• The Government of Sudan continues to impose severe restrictions on international humanitarian organizations in these two states. Currently there is only one UN international humanitarian staff member in South Kordofan and none in Blue Nile State.

• No confirmation on the withdrawal of SAF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from Abyei.

Darfur

NORTH DARFUR

Background

Heavy rains destroyed houses in various locations in North Darfur, listed below. Households verified by partners were provided with NFI & ES items from the Common Pipeline.

Public health concerns

Acute respiratory infections, bloody diarrhoea, clinical malaria remained the leading causes of morbidity in Darfur

This week, 19 suspected cases of acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) were reported from South and West Darfur (8 cases from South Darfur and 11 cases from West Darfur) compared to 32 cases reported in the previous week.

Suspected cases of measles were re-ported from Saleea (West Darfur) and Nyala (South Darfur). This week, one (1) death was reported from West Dar-fur, through EWARS, and was attributed to injury.

Key Points

Fighting continues in Blue Nile State. According to the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, over 130,000 people were initially displaced as a result of the fighting, while the Humanitarian Aid Commission reports that about 80 per cent of these people have now returned to their homes. In addition to this number, some 20,000 people fled across the border into Ethiopia.

In South Kordofan, the Humanitarian Aid Commission has reported that some 8,000 people were newly displaced during the past week.

More than 600 households have been affected by floods, including 7 schools which were partially destroyed and most of the latrines have been completely washed away in a North Darfur town.