Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- On 23 October, the Protection Cluster released a flash update highlighting reports of violence in over 20 locations in southern and central Unity State since the signing of the Peace Agreement in August 2015. As of 3 October, all humanitarian operations have been suspended in Leer and Koch Counties, leaving some 250,000 people without humanitarian assistance. From 4 to 22 October, 80 civilians were reportedly killed in Leer County, including 57 children, 29 of whom drowned while fleeing attacks. Widespread sexual violence was also reported, with over 50 cases of rape.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Operational Context in South Sudan
The general security in Yei (Central Equatoria State) remained relatively calm. The situation northwest of Lainya county was fluid. Wanduruba and Katigiri Payams reported armed clashes between government forces and unknown armed groups. On 25 October, a UNHCR partner’s vehicle came under attack at the hands of an unknown armed group along the Juba-Kajokeji road at Khor-Romula, some 40 km south of Juba. No injuries were reported.
UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are calling on the parties to the conflict to grant urgent and unrestricted access to Unity State, where a newly released Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that at least 30,000 people are living in extreme conditions and are facing starvation and death.
IDP Response Protection (IDPs)
The Protection Cluster prepared a report on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) to submit to the UN Security Council (UNSG)’s Informal Experts Group on Protection of Civilians in South Sudan regarding the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) mandate renewal. The report identifies key concerns on the protection of civilians since the last report in May, describes the response and remaining gaps, and provides recommendations for possible action by the UNSG.
Protection partners are concerned about the practices associated with the detention of IDPs in UNMISS holding facilities as well as the conditions of their detention. The Detention Working Group, which was established in July by the Protection Cluster and UNMISS, has agreed that protection partners will contribute to a standard NFI package that will be given to all detainees and support the establishment of a programme for regular visits by religious figures to promote welfare.
Armed clashes between government and opposition occurred on 11 October in Liang Boma (Benshawa Payam), forcing more than than 10,000 people to flee to Bunj town (Upper Nile State), some 15 km north of Liang, and to occupy Bunj primary school, Dangaj primary school, Chouny secondary school, and Bankuman primary school. Following an inter-agency assessment led by UNHCR, 2,522 IDPs (967 in Bunj primary school and 1,555 in Bunj secondary school) received food and NFIs from WFP and UNHCR respectively. Another 8,072 individuals will receive food and NFIs: 4,218 in Bankuman primary school and 3,854 in Dangaj primary school. The displaced population has begun vacating the schools and settling within the host community in Bunj.
In Yei (Central Equatoria State), UNHCR - as part of a multi-functional team led by South Sudan’s Relief and Rehabilitation Committee - registered 1,154 individuals (282 families) who had fled from Mundri, Yambio and Maridi in early October and are in need of food, shelter and health care. UNHCR is looking into the possibility of distributing NFIs to the most vulnerable.
UNHCR joined an Inter-agency Rapid Needs Assessment (IRNA) mission in Mundri (Western Equatoria State) on 26 October to look into the protection needs and concerns of IDPs. The deterioration of security in Mundri, due to armed clashes between Sudan’s People Liberation Army (SPLA) and unknown armed groups in early October, led to the death of some 300 people, the burning of entire villages in Mundri East and West counties and mass displacement within and outside the counties. According to local authorities, there are some 19,000 IDPs in Mundri East and another 44,000 in Mundri West.