ReliefWeb

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tripartite agreement signed for the voluntary return of Sudanese refugees from Chad and the return of Chadian refugees from Sudan.

• Almost 15,000 suspected AWD cases, including 279 deaths, were reported in Sudan since August 2016, according to WHO and FMoH.

• In South Kordofan about 3,000 people fled SPLM-N areas and arrived in government-controlled areas since January 2017.

• In Central Darfur, up to 4,000 IDPs—who fled inter-tribal fighting—have arrived in Um Dukhun town and need humanitarian assistance.

Tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Chad

On 31 May, the Government of Sudan, the Government of Chad and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) signed two separate tripartite agreements on the voluntary return of Sudanese refugees from Chad and Chadian refugees from Sudan.

There have been recent sizeable spontaneous returns of Sudanese refugees from the camps in Chad as well as firm expressions of the intention to return home on the part of Chadian refugees living in Sudan.

The agreements set out the legal frameworks under which any eventual repatriation would be undertaken. They underscore the need for any return to be voluntary and on the basis of well-informed consent.

UNHCR will be seeking to ensure that refugees are provided with up to date information on the conditions in the intended areas of return. No voluntary repatriation is expected immediately, nor will returns be linked, but the two Agreements ensure that there will be a strong legal basis going forward for UNHCR and the two concerned countries to plan for any eventual voluntary repatriation, including time to answer questions refugees may have and develop services in potential return locations to receive refugees. UNHCR’s priority is to ensure that safe and dignified conditions will be in place and that any returns be successful.

According to UNHCR, as of 15 May 2017 there are 317,000 Sudanese refugees (mainly from Darfur) in Chad, while Sudan hosts 8,500 Chadian refugees.

Returns from Chad to Darfur in 2016

In 2016, the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registered 113,790 returnees in Darfur, of whom 90 per cent were refugee returnees from Chad.

Um Dukhun locality in Central Darfur State accounted for about 70 per cent of the registered returnees..

More information on returns to Um Dukhun locality is available in the Recovery, Returns and Reintegration (RRR) Sector Inter-agency Mission in Um Dukhun Locality, Central Darfur, January 2017 Report at this link.

Amost 15,000 suspected AWD cases reported since August 2016

The latest joint epidemiological bulletin by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that between mid-August 2016 and 2 June 2017 almost 15,000 suspected cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) were reported in Sudan, including 279 deaths (case fatality ratio is 1.9 per cent). Overall 67 localities in 11 states are affected, including Blue Nile, Gedarif, Gezira, Kassala, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Senar and White Nile states. The outbreak is currently active in Gedarif, White Nile, Khartoum, Senar, River Nile state, North Kordofan and Gezira.

Since the last reporting period (epidemiological week 22), a total of 1,373 new cases were reported, including 16 deaths, according to FMoH and WHO.

State Ministry of Health (SMoH) in South Kordofan reported to WHO about a cumulative number of 83 AWD cases since 24 May 2017, affecting six out of 17 localities.

According to epidemiological findings, 48 per cent of the reported cases are males and 52 per cent are females. About 87 per cent of the affected population are 5 years of age and above, while 9 per cent are under 5 years. All patients with AWD presented symptoms of diarrhoea and 80 per cent reported vomiting, while 8.8 per cent showed symptoms of abdominal pain and 1.8 per cent reported fever.

The Wali of White Nile State led the High AWD Containment Committee Meeting on 2nd June 2017 in Al Dwaim locality, WHO FMoH, SMoH, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners and community-based organisations attended this meeting, the meeting discussed issues of current situation in all localities focusing in Ad Duwaim and El Qutainah localities. The Governor requested UN agencies, incuding WHO and UNICEF, to increase health and WASH support to contain the outbreak. The Wali directed the Government’ s Water Corporation to improve water quality in its water stations and coordinate with UNICEF to install new tanks and bladders from Oxfam in the affected villages.