Attachments
5. Situation Overview
When conflict broke out in Juba in December 2013, it quickly spread to the symbolic town of Leer, the birthplace of opposition leader Riek Machar. Since this time, there have been sporadic population movements from the town and surrounding areas onto the nearby islands to the south east of Leer for safety. The most significant recent displacement was during and after July 2016, when months of fighting led to more people fleeing to the islands, with the largest influx occurring in November. Further displacement due to fighting in Pilieny on 5th May 2017 alerted Medair to the needs on the islands, and an assessment was planned specifically for the three Meer islands.
It was known that ICRC had conducted a rapid assessment immediately prior to the Medair ERT team’s arrival. However, with coordination and communication with the local ICRC staff on the ground and their office in Juba, it was agreed that Medair were best placed to respond.
ICRC had distributed 45 NFI kits to the Meer islands in November 2016 during the crisis of mass influx. However, it was known by the Medair Leer team that there were significant needs due to additional population movements during and since that time, along with a need for more than just these kits. No other assessments are known to have been made.