Sudan Situation Report, 27 Sep 2020 [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS (30 Sep 2020)

• On 24 September, HAC reported that almost 830,000 people had been affected by floods in all of Sudan’s 18 states.

• The states most affected by floods are North Darfur, Khartoum, Blue Nile, West Darfur and Sennar, which account for 54 per cent of all people affected.

• UNHCR and partners provided emergency shelter and essential household items to over 170,000 flood-affected refugees, IDPs and residents across Sudan.

• The risk of desert locust persists in Sudan, with the situation developing rapidly in winter and summer breeding areas - FAO

• COVID-19 transmissions continue and 13,640 people had contracted the virus in the country, as of 28 September 2020.

BACKGROUND

Refugees in Sudan most worried about violence, health and food

Security from violence, affordable healthcare and enoughfood are the main concerns refugees from different nationalities and ages, including childrenand elderly men and women, express in the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) new Report “Being a refugee in Sudan” launched on 28 September. This Participatory Assessment Report is the result of nearly 600 events and interviews UNHCR and partners undertook across Sudan with over 6,000 participants.

“Refugees themselves are the experts on what it feels like being a refugee in Sudan,” said UNHCR Representative Axel Bisschop. “These consultations with women, men, boys and girls help us, our partnersand the authorities understand their concernsbetter and provide more efficient support.”

Physical security surfaced as a top concern in different regions: Refugees and asylum-seekers reported that some locals would steal from them or exploit them as cheap or unpaid labour. Physical and sexual violence remained a concern, they complained in focus group discussions. At the time of the consultations, impunity for crimes committed against refugees was a major issue, especially in Darfur.

Health was another recurring theme: Some refugees had struggled to get medical attention, others found the needed medications or visiting a doctor unaffordable - a problem also affecting pregnant women. UNHCR’s consultations also revealed that many refugee children did not attend school and were rather occupied trying to earn some money to buy food and basic necessities to help their families.

The 86-page report covers over 12 ethnic groups in 13 states, it features solutions proposed by refugees – from more police patrols to patient-friendly opening hours of clinics. They recommend that many problems could be addressed by letting them work. Refugee men and women across Sudan want to sustain themselves, and provide for their families.

The Government of Sudan has already made positive pledges at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December2019. These pledges include inclusion of refugees in the national health and education systems as well as providing them access to the labour market. UNHCR looks forward to supporting the Government on this path and calls on development agencies and donors to boost their engagement for education, health and livelihoods for refugees in Sudan.

“The whole purpose of the participatory assessment is to help us, the authorities and partners to strengthen the response to the worrying issues raised,” concluded Axel Bisschop. The Report is available here https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/79211

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Roland Schönbauer UNHCR spokesperson in Khartoum, Sudan
+249 91 217 9387
sudkhextrel@unhcr.org
For more: UNHCR in Sudan on Twitter [@UNHCRinSudan]