Attachments
Note: This report updates fact sheet
4, dated October 22, 2004.
|
DARFUR EMERGENCY -
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
|
SOURCE
| |
| Conflict-Affected Persons
in
Darfur and Eastern Chad | More than 2 million people | U.S. Government, European
Union, and
United Nations |
| Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs)
in Darfur | 1.6 million people | U.N. Office for the Coordination
of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |
| Sudanese Refugees in Eastern
Chad | 200,000 people | U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) |
| Conflict-Affected Persons
in
Darfur Receiving Food Assistance | 1.3 million people during September | U.N. World Food Program (WFP) |
| Crude Mortality Rates (CMR)1
and
Under-five Mortality Rates (U5MR)2 for Darfur | North Darfur - 1.5 CMR; 2.5
U5MR
West Darfur - 2.9 CMR; 3.1 U5MR Kalma Camp (South Darfur) - 3.8 CMR; 11.7 U5MR | Preliminary data from the
U.N. World
Health Organization (WHO) |
Total FY 2004 - 2005 USG Humanitarian Assistance to Darfur: $224,341,434
Total FY 2004 - 2005 USG Humanitarian Assistance to Eastern Chad: $75,672,072
Total FY 2004 - 2005 USG Humanitarian Assistance for the Darfur Emergency: $300,013,506
Total FY 2003 - 2005 USG Humanitarian Assistance for the Darfur Emergency: $302,085,080
CURRENT HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
Humanitarian Access
According to the October 26 Situation Report from the U.N. Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, insecurity and restrictions on humanitarian access continue to impede the delivery of food and other assistance. In North Darfur, the Kebkabiya-Tawila, El Fasher - Mallit - Malha, and the El Fasher-Um Kaddada roads remain closed for U.N. operations. In addition, commercial trucks and NGO vehicles have been reportedly stopped and harassed on the road between Um Kadada and En Nahud, near El Fasher. In South Darfur, some U.N.operations are suspended due to closure of the Kass-Nertiti and Nertiti-Zalengei roads.
On October 28, the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) reported that the situation in Darfur has not improved much during the last month and attributed much of the recent violence to opposition groups, Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). As a result of the violence, humanitarian access to many areas remains restricted.
Peace Negotiations
The second round of African Union (AU)-led talks between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the SLM/A and JEM, aimed at resolving the Darfur crisis, resumed in Abuja, Nigeria, on October 25. However, international media sources report that proceedings have been complicated by the SLM/A and JEM refusal to sign a "humanitarian protocol" for the protection of displaced civilians without first receiving security guarantees from the GOS. In addition, two new factions have emerged in Darfur which are not signatories of the April 8 humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the GOS and the JEM and SLM/A.
Protection
The planned expansion of the African Union (AU) monitoring force in Darfur to 3,320 troops and civilian police began on October 28 with the U.S. Government-sponsored airlift of 47 Nigerian troops. Additional troops from Nigeria as well as from Rwanda, Gambia, Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria are also expected to deploy in the coming months.
On October 25, the European Union (EU) announced plans to provide $100 million to support the expanded AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur. In addition, the U.K. has pledged $25 million to support the AU force. According to the State Department, the USG has committed approximately $20.6 million to support the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur. The AU estimates that costs for expanded operations in Darfur will total $221 million for one year.
On October 25, IOM reported that the U.N., IOM, and the GOS reached an agreement on implementing procedures for the Management and Coordination Mechanism (MCM) on the Voluntary Return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), established by the memorandum of understanding signed between the GOS and IOM on August 21.
Health and Nutrition
On October 26, WFP released results from a Darfur-wide nutrition and food security assessment, which was conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other U.N. agencies, and NGOs, with support from several GOS ministries.
WFP's survey confirmed high rates of malnutrition, poor health indicators, and widespread food insecurity among IDPs and vulnerable populations surveyed in Darfur. Although food assistance was reaching 70 percent of the 1.45 million IDPs and 20 percent of residents in conflict-affected areas at the time of the survey, global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates for children under the age of five were 21.8 percent3. In addition, WFP reported that the prevalence of diarrhea among children was 40 percent, and acute respiratory infection was 18 percent. The assessment team recommended full general rations for 94 percent of IDPs and supplementary feeding for all children under five and all pregnant and lactating women.
Food Assistance
Due to insecurity and the loss of some implementing partners, WFP reported that food distribution has not occurred in several areas of North and South Darfur. In October, WFP distributions in South Darfur reached more than 48,000 IDPs in the El Daein area and approximately 29,000 IDPs in Mershing.
The International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) recent assessment of the food supply and agriculture situation in 20 villages throughout Darfur indicated that conflict and rain shortfalls have undermined communities' coping mechanisms. ICRC predicted ongoing food shortages for rural residents through the 2005 harvest. As a result, ICRC plans to continue assistance to rural residents who have not been displaced but are not receiving assistance from agencies in Darfur. In an effort to prevent displacement of this population to IDP camps, ICRC is currently distributing food to 20,450 rural households (109,193 beneficiaries).
Refugees in Chad
On October 26, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that depleting water supplies in Eastern Chad, particularly in Iridimi camp near Iriba, are a serious concern. The 15,000 refugees at the camp are currently receiving an estimated 6 to 10 liters per person per day, below the Sphere standard of 15 liters per person per day. UNHCR is meeting with local officials to consider immediate alternatives to water shortages in the region, including trucking water into camps, relocating refugees to other camps, and drawing water from new sites.
According to WFP, a break in the food pipeline is likely to occur in November due to delays in the arrival of some food commodities. In response, WFP may issue a 15-day ration rather than a 30- day ration to affected populations. WFP expects the food pipeline will be full between December 2004 and March 2005.
Notes:
1 According to WHO, the emergency threshold for crude mortality is 1 death per 10,000 people per day.
2 According to WHO, the emergency threshold for under-five mortality is 2 deaths per 10,000 children under five per day.
3 The GAM emergency threshold is 15 percent per U.N. World Health Organization guidelines.
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