South Sudan - Alali Payam, Akobo: IRNA Report, February 2021

Situation overview

Alali Payam is home to the minority Anyuak tribe, located South East of Akobo town at 6 hours walk on foot, 8-10 hours to Gabella refugee Camps and 5 working to Pochalla.

On 27th February an inter-cluster/agency assessment team led by OCHA, conducted a rapid need assessment (IRNA) to Alali Payam of Akobo East County. The team met local authorities and community members. Initial report received from the authority had prior indicated 6,000 households ( 25,000-30,000 individuals) affected by floods. However, the assessment established only 130 households ( about 700 individuals) remains in Alali Center (Baba Boma). Resident in the other four bomas/ villages of Wibura, Gem, Wau and Dilok had all left to Gambella/ Ethiopia refugee camps to access basic services. In 2015, estimated population of Alali Payam was 7,005 individuals . However, due to the consecutive climatic shocks-floods and drought in 2015 through to 2020 that seriously impact livelihoods, population in the above four Bomas decided to cross to Gambella refugee camps in Ethiopia to access services.

The general security situation in Baba Boma is calmed, despite isolated reports of women and child abduction and sometimes rape cases allegedly committed by Murle criminals in the deserted villages of Wibura, Gem, Wau and Dilok. The Payam is completely cut-off from Akobo county headquarter due to physical access constraints-(river crossing/poor road condition), and unresolved conflict with Anyuak tribe of Alali and Nuer tribe of Akobo.
The humanitarian situation of the households that remained in Alali remains dire, and if not supported all may opt to crossed to Gambella. The area is completely lacking basic services such as food, health , education, and access to market. Alali Payam has four boreholes with only one currently functional within Alali center (Baba village). The main priority humanitarian needs identified for urgent assistance includes,
FSL Emergency assistance: distribution of emergency food aid and livelihood support ( seeds, tools, and fishing gears).

Nutrition: Provision of blanket supplementary feeding (BSFP) to Children under 5 years of age, conduct house to house screening and referrals of malnourished children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women (PLW) of children under 6 months, scale up nutrition treatment services to cover the community in Alali area,
Train mothers on family MUAC to ensure continuous monitoring of nutrition status of their children, provide individual MIYCN counselling to caregivers of children 0-23 months in context of Covid-19 and conduct health and nutrition education sessions with focus on malnutrition and disease prevention measures.

Health: Provision of essential medical supplies, deployment of health care workers to support the provision of basic health services and Capacity building of CHW through case management and related trainings.
ES/NFIs: Distribution of basic lifesavings emergency shelters/NFIs to the affected population (Mosquito Nets,
Plastic sheets, Blankets, Sleeping Mats, Cooking set and Solar lamps).

WASH: Rehabilitated and disinfected Broken boreholes with chlorine, conduct water quality test before/after repair, construction of broken platforms, provision of boreholes repair spare parts and tool kits, provision of latrine digging tools to community to construct their own latrines using local materials, provision of re-usable MHMK to young girls and women of reproductive ages, provision of WASH NFI items like soaps, buckets, HWT such aqua tabs, to the affected areas/populations, hygiene campaigns such Jerrycan clean-up campaign at the water points and training water user committee, training communities’ authorities on WASH related issues and covid-19; training of pump mechanics for maintenance and repair of water points, hygiene promotion and covid-19 messaging at the residents sites, and display of WASH and covid-19 IEC materials.

Protection: Provision with dignity kits to women and girls in the area as well as secondhand clothing, establishment of women and girls friendly space, provision of basic protection items such as mosquito nets, blankets, kitchen sets, sleeping mats, soap, Jerri cans, buckets and solar lamps, provision of support of 20 UASC and specialize support including reunification process to commence immediately, provide targeted support to the most vulnerable elderly persons, initiation of peaceful coexistence projects including asset-based programming and cash base programming to help restore the community back to the economic viability state, advocate with relevant stakeholders to engage the communities of Akobo on peaceful coexistence and community cohesion to reconcile and bring healing as well as forgiveness between and provision of farming inputs and tools.

Education: Provision of teaching, learning and recreational materials, establishment of Temporary Learning Space (TLS) and latrines and Reopening of Early Childhood Development (ECD) school and lower classes (P 1,
P2 and P3).