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Cueibet is one of the eight counties that comprise Lakes State. The other seven are Rumbek Centre, Rumbek East, Rumbek North, Wulu Yirol West, Yirol East and Awerial. The current projected population of Lakes State is estimated at 1,310,142 with Cueibet County having an estimated population of between 178,800-187,348 making it the third largest county in terms of population size after Rumbek Centre and Rumbek East. The Humanitarian Needs Overview of 2021 reported that 65% of the population were in varying degrees of need with 20,800 described as being in extreme need. The focus of this IRNA were the payams of Tiatiap, Pagor and Citcok in the northern part of Cueibet County, which are inaccessible during the rainy season and have gone through periods of prolonged and chronic deficit of social support services.
Throughout 2021, a series of compounding shocks and stressors have resulted in large-scale displacement, particularly towards larger towns, while simultaneously preventing vulnerable populations in the north of Cueibet from displacing to access livelihoods, food, and services.
Assessment findings suggest that displacement options for populations in northern Cueibet have largely been determined by internal and cross-border conflict lines. As such, those that could displace moved southward, through highly insecure, and increasingly flooded areas.
Findings suggest that, due to these barriers, the most vulnerable have largely been unable to displace.
According to the feedback obtained from FGD insecurity and subsequent flooding in 2021 prevented many people in the north of Cueibet County from cultivating. FGD participants reported that only a minority of people were able to harvest crops and the majority of these have already exhaust their cultivated food stocks, three to four months earlier than usual. As such, isolated communities in the north of Cueibet County, particularly vulnerable groups who cannot displace, are likely to continue to experience abnormally severe, widespread and prolonged food consumption gaps. The assessment findings suggest that vulnerable groups are attempting to fill food consumption gaps by relying almost solely on wild foods, the utilisation of which appears to be low given a reported lack of dietary diversity.
Cyclical raids have reportedly resulted in a decrease in cattle herd size in northern Cueibet.
Cattle are typically relied upon most heavily during periods of acute food insecurity and form the cornerstone of an effective community coping mechanism. However, in the coming months, cattle are likely to be far from the settlement, limiting access to milk and livestock products for the most vulnerable, who, due to high levels of insecurity, are much less likely to travel with the herds to seasonal grazing areas than in previous years.
Assessment findings suggest that physical and financial access to markets is atypically low.
An increase in the number of cattle being sold has reportedly pushed livestock prices down, a trend that is likely to continue. However, the failure of the white sorghum harvest is expected to limit market supply, resulting in staple prices remaining high, limiting the ability of vulnerable groups to financially access markets.
Health and nutrition facilities have remained operational during 2021, however, according to service providers, facilities have been operating below full capacity. Insecurity between January and July 2021 reportedly limited supply and had a negative effect on health seeking behaviour, often resulting in the most vulnerable not being able to access stabilization, referral, and inpatient services. Since July, health seeking behaviour has reportedly improved, however, flooding between August and September limited the delivery of medical supplies, resulting in these supplies being exhausted much earlier than usual.
The Nutrition assessment indicated that the PHCC/Us currently have adequate supplies of nutrition food. However, proxy GAM results produced by MUAC assessments showed a nutrition situation that is likely to worsen during the lean season April-August, which is again unusual for this time of the year when communities are usually at peak harvest period. The WASH assessment revealed evidence of high AWD rates which suggests that a high proportion of households are surviving with a small quantity of very poor-quality water. In addition, high OD rates increase the risk of spreading disease.