KEY DEVELOPMENTS
A joint police and military force has
been deployed in Fata Borno town, and a number of police officers have
been deployed in Tawilla town. As a result, a few families have moved
back in both places.
The Spanish Red Cross is commencing sanitation operations in North Darfur.
A weekly meeting scheduled for every Monday, has been established between the HAC and the Office of the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, in order to discuss the humanitarian situation in Darfur and key operational issues.
Security
1. North Darfur: The security situation remains tense and unpredictable. UNSECOORD plans to reassess the El Fasher-Kebkabiya road over the coming weekend
2. West Darfur: There are no additional locations cleared by UNSECOORD for UN operations.
3. South Darfur: There are no additional locations cleared by UNSECOORD for UN operations
Protection
4. North Darfur: A joint police and military force has been deployed in Fata Borno town, and a number of police officers have also been deployed in Tawilla. A committee of Fata Borno IDPs in Kutum, have reportedly decided to move back to Fata Borno town. It is expected that at least 6-8,000 will be moving back on or around 12 March.
5. Following recent violence in Tawilla, the number of new IDPs in El Fasher has been confirmed as 10,000. Although a small number of IDPs are reportedly returning from El Fasher to Tawilla, the movement is still mainly in the direction of El Fasher. HAC currently plans to assist the Tawilla IDPs only until 18 March, after which they expect the IDPs to return home. Humanitarian agencies have discussed this with the HCAC officials stating that any return must be voluntary and that March 18, as the cut off date for the return of the IDPs, may be unrealistic given their fears.
6. UNICEF and SCUK have started operations on protection issues, in response to SRC's request for training on child protection issues.
7. West Darfur: Nothing new to report
8. South Darfur: Nothing new to report
Food/NFIs
9. North Darfur: The WES team in El Fasher is supporting IDPs concentrated in the Mawashi camp. It has rehabilitated one hand pump for the use of some 500 people and distributed 500 jerry cans, 300 buckets and 10 boxes of soap. The WES team has also distributed 2,000 jerry cans, 2,000 buckets and some boxes of soap in Tawilla. WHO is supporting public health measures in particular garbage disposal. The GOS is reportedly planning to provide 100 latrines for the IDPs in El Fasher town.
10. UNICEF supported the installation of 9 hand pumps in Kutum in the past two weeks, making a total of 20 functioning hand pumps. UNICEF is also supporting nutrition surveys in Kutum and Kebkabiya. They are being implemented by MoH, SC-UK, and GOAL.
11. South Darfur: Nothing to report.
12. West Darfur: In terms of shelter, the Ministry of Interior provided 220 tents to IDPs in Zalingi. In Nyertete, Thur, Beja and Umm Khair IDPs are housed in improvised shelters made of locally available materials. In Garsila, IDPs are housed in 4 congested camps. In Bendessi and Deleij, IDPs use the school as their temporary shelter while some families stay in improvised huts.
13. In the Ardamata camp, the water situation is reported to be improving with the provision of another four water bladders. Sanitary facilities have been provided for some 1,000 IDPs with the completion of 50 communal latrines; a sanitation promotion course was also conducted to benefit 20 community leaders, who are in charge of monitoring the situation in the camp.
14. UNICEF has supported the repair of the state drilling rig in Mornei. This has allowed the drilling of 2 boreholes, which have been installed with hand pumps. There will be safe water to approximately 500 - 1,000 people. The rig is being moved to the Geneina IDP camps to drill 5 boreholes.
Health
15. North Darfur: In Kutum, WHO trained 30 health workers on disease surveillance and is continuing to assist with sanitarian activities. The hospital in Kutum continues to be the sole health care facility and the caseload remains around 250-400 a day. In El Fasher, WHO is supporting seven MoH doctors to deliver health care services for the IDPs in Al Mashtal area. Drugs are provided from the Sate Ministry of Health's emergency stock. On its first day, the center received 688 cases, 300 of them with eye infections, 91 malaria cases, and 50 cases of dysentery. WHO visited the hospital in El Fasher and provided emergency drugs on 4 March covering 5% of the wounded. WHO is planning to deliver trauma kits covering 500 patients to Kutum, El Fasher and Kebkabiya. Several patients wounded in Tawilla, are still waiting for medical care. HAC has promised that care will be provided to them. WHO is pursuing this further.
16. Essential drugs sufficient to cover 5,000 people for 2 months have been provided for the health facilities in Birkat Saira and Seraif villages. In Kutum, however, essential drugs are reported to be in short supply. UNICEF, WHO and other partners are looking at urgently replenishing stocks.
17. West Darfur: UNICEF is providing drugs to two clinics (in Ardamata and Dorti), managed by Medair, one clinic managed by MSF-F (in Mornei) and some other MoH health facilities. Two Medical assistants identified in the Sisi camp, will also be provided with drugs to serve the camp population. WHO reports that 26 suspected cases of whooping cough were recorded in the period between January - February.
18. South Darfur: There are no health facilities in Dagreiss or the neighboring areas. The health clinic had been closed when the local medical assistant (supplied by MoH Nyala) had departed for Nyala more than six months previously - allegedly due to insecurity. Sufficient essential drugs for 5000 people for one month were provided to the Kass hospital. A similar quantity has been pre-positioned in Nyala for health centres that are recommended by the assessment team in Kass.
Planned Actions:
19. The UNDAC team currently in the Darfur region, will be replaced by OCHA staff, who will be deployed this week.