Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
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Humanitarian partners continue to assist people affected by inter-communal violence in West Darfur
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Aid agencies scale up the delivery of aid to 4,800 newly displaced people in Abyei town
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WFP and the Government of Sudan work to curb post-harvest losses
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EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Humanitarian response to IDPs in El Geneina continues while safety and security concerns remain a high priority
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 41,672 people (8,381 families) fled inter-communal violence earlier this month and are currently sheltering in El Geneina town. This updated figures from the fourth Emergency Event Tracking (EET) update indicates a decrease of about 4,400 IDPs from the previous estimate, according to IOM and reports from the field this may suggest that some families may have now returned to their locations of origin. However, there are still major security and safety concerns, especially in affected villages around El Geneina town. Appropriate decisions and actions need to be taken to address the concerns of the IDPs in relation to justice and overall security. Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies will continue to support affected people where they are.
Humanitarian response
Food Security
WFP delivered food and nutrition assistance in 22 locations where the displaced people are currently taking shelter. A total of 111 metric tons of food has been delivered, enough to feed 24,450 people for 15 days. This assistance also includes emergency blanket supplementary feeding supplies for 6,800 children under 5 years and pregnant and nursing mothers. Partners are working to fill gaps and complete distributions in all gathering sites based on the rapid assessment.
Health
El Geneina hospital is open, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and health partners. WHO provided one rapid response kit, eight new emergency health kits, two malaria kits to the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), one trauma kit and three new emergency health kits. Health clinics will be established in seven IDPs gathering points to respond to health needs. The State Ministry of Health (SMoH) and WHO have confirmed they have enough medical stock to support those in need. In addition, partners have confirmed the availability of drugs to support the SMoH. However, there is a gap in health care supplies for children under 5 years. UNICEF has provided El Geneina hospital with malaria kits, and 15 inter-agency emergency health kits (IEHK)---each kit can cover the health needs of 10,000 people for three months. The international NGOs World Relief (WR) and International Medical Corps (IMC) will support three primary health care clinics for the IDPs in addition to the seven clinics that will be run by other partners. SMoH and UNICEF distributed 700 neonatal blankets/wraps. In addition, UNICEF supported 84 public awareness sessions and 43 focus group discussions have been carried out in IDPs gathering points, reaching 7,224 people with health messages. In addition, 143 people have received individual counselling.
Sexual reproductive health (SRH)
The reproductive health working group---co-chaired by the SMoH and UNFPA---has been activated in El Geneina town. According to UNFPA, there are 10,800 women of reproductive age in need of sexual and reproductive health services in the area. The SMoH reports that there are 3,442 pregnant women among the people affected---of whom 700 are nine months pregnant and are expected to deliver soon. UNFPA has shipped reproductive health (RH) kits to El Geneina town which can cover the needs of 3,200 pregnant women. Tents have been erected to give women safe places to give birth and the SMoH has deployed community midwives in 40 locations. UNFPA, in partnership with SRCS and SMoH, has established 30 temporary RH clinics to serve 41 gathering sites. These clinics provide antenatal care and clean delivery services. SMoH is planning to provide 40 tents for deliveries. Pregnant women with obstetric complications have been transported to El Geneina hospital for treatment. UNFPA has rented two vehicles for this purpose.
In addition, approximately 3,500 dignity kits will be distributed to women and girls of reproductive health age. Response to affected villages outside of El Geneina town is being discussed.
Non-food items (NFIs)
UNHCR supported IOM, ICRC and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) to distribute blankets, sleeping mats and jerry cans to 4,572 IDP families in 38 gathering points in El Geneina town. Currently, sector partners---in coordination with HAC---distributing NFI kits (plastic sheets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets kit) to 4,362 families.
Triangle Génération Humanitaire (TGH), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), DRRA, Médecins Sans Frontières -- Spain (MSF-E), Save the Children, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UNHCR, IOM, and HAC have also mobilized resources and staff to support response especially for long-term shelter solutions once they affected people, currently taking refuge in schools and other government buildings, relocate to more appropriate sites or locations. Sector partners also plan to provide services in affected villages in the vicinity to El Geneina town.
Nutrition
WHO and SMoH are providing nutritional support to children and pregnant and nursing mothers. WFP---who had been providing nutritional services in Krinding IDP camp---will continue this support for the Krinding IDPs. UNICEF has mobilized nutrition in-patient kits for the stabilization centre in El Geneina to ensure treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and complications. To address maternal and child health needs, UNICEF is supporting the SMoH with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and will support with transportation costs to deliver the supplies to where the displaced people are taking refuge. In collaboration with the SMoH, UNICEF has initiated a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening for children under 5 years. Children with malnutrition are receiving the nutrition assistance they need.
Protection
Child protection
UNICEF is supporting the youth initiative for support and reunification of children to establish five centres to serve 23 IDP gathering sites. In these centres, awareness sessions and collection of information on missing children will be carried out. UNICEF is also working with the State Council for Child Welfare (SCCW) as well as international and national partners to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the most vulnerable children in El Geneina---mainly newly displaced children and those who have been separated or are unaccompanied.
Gender-based violence
UNFPA has sent a gender-based violence (GBV) coordinator to El Geneina to ensure that the key needs of women and girls, especially those pregnant, are met. The GBV coordinator is ensuring the proper positioning and mainstreaming of GBV throughout response. According to reports from different sources, many sexual violence incidents, including rape, and harassment have taken place. Stigma has been identified as a huge barrier to sexual violence survivors' access to services.
The Government's Combating Violence Against Women (CVAW) unit and SMoH have deployed social workers at the gathering sites to sensitize the IDPs on GBV. The social workers raised some concerns including the sense of hopelessness among the IDPs caused by the trauma; no gender separation in sleeping areas increasing the risk of sexual harassment and abuse; and lack of enough counsellors and privacy in gathering sites for confidential GBV counselling.
The designated confidential corner for treatment of rape survivors in El Genenia teaching hospital is active and has been stocked with required medication. The psychosocial support room is ready with psychologists available. Additional skilled psychologists and social workers are being deployed by partners to fill in the gap in trauma counselling. Sensitization sessions on GBV referral guiding principles targeting 70 psychologists from SMoH will be carried out next week to refresh their information and knowledge.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
There is an urgent need for sanitation services---especially latrines---in schools and IDP gathering points as current facilities are insufficient to meet the needs of the IDPs. The public water system cannot meet the increasing needs due to the lack of fuel to operate generators needed to operate the water pumps. In response, UNICEF and partners have provided three water tanks for water trucking and are supporting the distribution of soap and collection of waste from displacement sites. An estimated 16,000 people are provided with an average of 7.5 litres of water per day. Water chlorination is ongoing at water storage points at the gathering sites.
To address sanitation needs, UNICEF is supporting the construction of latrines in targeted areas and an estimated 1,980 people have been reached with improved sanitation. Acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) kits have also been delivered as well as two rented vehicles to strengthen monitoring and supervision of response. UNHCR has provided plastic sheets to support the construction of 50 emergency latrines. In addition, UNICEF is providing people at gathering sites with hygiene messages.
The international NGO International Aid Services (IAS) is planning to clean collapsed boreholes and rehabilitate broken hand pumps Krinding IDP camp. IAS is also planning to respond to rehabilitate broken hand pumps, upgrade some hand pumps to mini water yards, construct latrines and carry out hygiene promotion activities in El Geneina town. These interventions are pending a decision by donors and consultation with humanitarian actors on responding to needs in the town.
Inter-sector rapid needs assessment completed in El Geneina, West Darfur
The inter-sector rapid needs assessment carried out in 35 out of the 40 affected villages around El Geneina and the teams were able to carry out assessments in 16 villages out of the 35 villages visited. The teams also found out that 19 of the 35 visited villages were completely abandoned, with three villages free of residents since 2004 conflict and one village deserted in June 2019. The affected villages experienced various forms of violence, including burning, looting, harassment, SGBV, which led to displacement to El Geneina, Chad, Gokar, Mulli and Gokar. In addition, there were about 12 people killed and many persons injured. At least six of the affected villages are return villages.
*For more details *read the complete assessment report.
Previous assessments can be found on HR.info here:
Aid agencies scale up assistance to newly displaced people in Abyei town
Humanitarian organisations are scaling up the provision of assistance to an estimated 4,800 people who fled Kolom village and sought refuge in Abyei town last week. After the provision of some initial assistance last week, aid agencies started from 28 January providing food, nutrition, health, WASH, protection, NFI and other assistance to the newly displaced people.
On 28 January, six children who were abducted from Kolom village in the Abyei area during an attack on Kolom village last week were reunited with their families in Abyei town. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has facilitated the reunification of the missing children. Also on 28 January, an inter-agency assessment team visited Kolom village. The team observed that there were only 12 men in the village and the number of houses burned is 32.
Due to long standing tensions, violent clashes between the agro-pastoralist Ngok Dinka and the nomadic cattle herding Misseryia, whose seasonal grazing routes run through Abyei, have led to several waves of displacement of the Ngok Dinka community and the destruction of public infrastructure.
On 27 January, UNISFA handed over the five suspects of the Kolom attack to Sudanese Police, in the presence of Misseriya community leaders, representative of AJOC Sudan and a member of the Joint Communal Peace.
With the onset of the dry season, UNISFA is anticipating increased conflict between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya, including violence and cattle rustling. This insecurity may be exacerbated by criminal activities of armed groups who may attack civilians, traders and rob villages. To circumvent this, UNISFA is planning to establish four temporary operating bases in areas identified as hotspots (Alal, Shegeg, Umkhariet and Leu) to deter criminal activities, impede the movement or armed groups, prevent armed attacks, and curb the proliferation of firearms into the Abyei box. UNISFA has imposed restriction of movement for all UN staff in the areas of Kolom and Noong.
Schools in Abyei town will start next week and the local administration is planning to relocate the IDPs currently taking refuge in eight public facilities to three identified locations in Abyei town. OCHA and humanitarian partners will meet with the local administration to discuss the suitability of the new IDPs locations as well as the verification process.
In 2020, the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) partners aim to provide 200,000 people in the Abyei area with humanitarian assistance. For more on planned response see the 2020 Sudan HRP.
Humanitarian Response
Food
On 29 January, WFP through its local partner Abyei Community Action for Development (ACAD) distributed food to Kolom IDPs taking refuge the town.
Nutrition/Health
UNICEF is deploying a medical team, including a doctor with primary healthcare centre (PHCC) kits to support the health requirements of the IDPs in Abyei town. The team is expected to start operation on 30 January. UNICEF also dispatched some supplies (dignity kits / emergency food for children) to Abyei that are expected to arrive during this week. UNICEF will deploy a nutrition officer to conduct a nutrition assessment in coordination with nutrition partners. On 28 January, a GOAL medical team started providing mobile medical services to the IDPs in Abyei town.
Shelter/Non-food items (NFIs)
On 28 January, UNHCR distributed 100 NFI kits to the Kolom IDPs who have settled in House of Dombek. Some 500 NFI kits of IOM arrived in Agok by a chartered flight and were transported from Agok to Abyei town with logistical support from WFP. The distribution will commence in the coming days.
Protection
On 28 January, six abducted children were reunited with their families. However, the Dinka community leaders report that there are nine children were still missing. UNMAS destroyed explosive devices found in Kolom village and is planning to carry out mine risk awareness sessions and provide school bags to children.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
GOAL distributed some hygiene kits to the Kolom IDPs. UNICEF has sent some targeted WASH materials for the new IDPs and soap will be distributed soon. IOM has set up temporary latrines in one of the IDP locations however, there is a gap in the materials need to set up shower facilities due to funding issues. WASH partners are exploring options in addressing this issue.
--The disputed Abyei area is between Sudan and South Sudan. The final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined.
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2020 humanitarian needs and current response
2019 humanitarian needs and response
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