Sudan Situation Report, 7 Nov 2019 [EN/AR]

Highlights

• Humanitarian partners continue to assist over 202,000 vulnerable people in the Abyei Area.
• An estimated 2,600 refugees from the Central African Republic have fled their homes and taken refuge in Um Dafug locality, South Darfur State.
• Cholera (332 cases), dengue (1,197 cases), rift valley fever (279 cases), and chikungunya (63 cases) continue to be reported across the country.
• In response to the rift valley fever outbreak in Red Sea State a task force committee has been activated and is meeting daily.

Feature

Humanitarian partners continue to assist over 202,000 vulnerable people in the Abyei Area

Over 202,000 vulnerable people within the Abyei Area continue to receive humanitarian and recovery assistance. These vulnerable people include 107,000 people from the Ngok Dinka community, 9,000 people displaced from neighbouring states in South Sudan, 37,000 people from the Misseriya community, 6,000 other South Sudanese (mainly Nuer), 38,000 seasonal Misseriya migrants and 5,000 Fallata nomads who returned to the area between October and November 2019.

Inter-tribal conflict

Since October, there have been a marked rise in security incidents—usually between farmers and pastoralists—reported in the Abyei Area. Such incidents usually occur during the dry season, when seasonal migration takes place. This year, the seasonal migration started a bit late due to the heavy rains and flooding in the southern part of Abyei. More incidents, with causalities, are expected in the coming months. UNISFA and humanitarian partners on the ground are monitoring the situation.

Effects of recent heavy rains and floods

Between June and September, some 8,000 households (approximately 40,000 people) were displaced from their homes due to flooding caused by heavy rains in the southern parts of Abyei, particularly Agok town, Alal, Rumamir and Mijak areas. Roads, bridges and public facilities were destroyed by heavy downpours and farms were damaged. The roads from Abyei to Ameit Market and Abyei to Agok remain impassable. Over 7,000 livestock deaths have been reported and around 72,000 feddans (about 30,230 hectares) of farmland damaged. Most of the water sources have been contaminated due to the floods and floodwaters exposing communities to disease outbreaks. Most of the people displaced by the floods erected temporary shelters with wooden poles alongside roads, and many others occupied primary school buildings. Humanitarian partners distributed emergency household supplies (plastic sheets, cooking utensils, blankets, mosquito nets and bags for repacking) to some 3,000 families (about 15,000 people) in accessible areas in September. Some families received food and medical assistance. An inter-agency rapid flood assessment mission was carried out recently and identified food, emergency shelter and household supplies as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services as the key priority needs. Partners are preparing to respond to these needs. Reaching the affected communities in remote areas was challenging due to poor road conditions and roads cut off by water.

Humanitarian assistance

Efforts to support community livelihood activities continued, with over 109,000 livestock vaccinated against various diseases and more than 19,000 livestock treated, benefiting over 5,800 families. Training in basic animal health, handling and processing of fish, beekeeping and honey production, poultry production, post-harvest handling, the establishment of fruit tree nurseries, vegetable production and business skills were provided. Other activities including the provision of business start-up materials, milk equipment, assorted vegetable seeds and fishing kits were also provided.

There are 17 primary and two secondary health care facilities operational in the Abyei Area. Humanitarian organizations provided routine immunizations and health support, including consultations and essential drugs, benefiting some 110,000 people between April and October 2019. The highest level of morbidity was from malaria, with 35,000 patients diagnosed during this rainy season

Due to access constraints caused by the floods, limited mobile health services were provided to communities in remote areas of northern Abyei. Nutrition screening and support for patients with moderate and acute malnutrition in the Abyei Area covered an average of 10,500 children under 5 years of age, as well as pregnant and lactating women per month. Health and nutrition services in all facilities have been supported by awareness-raising and capacity-building activities, on-the-job training for clinical staff, training for elementary health-service personnel at the village level and health awareness sessions, including training on Ebola for 24 health workers. Latrines were constructed at Rumamer, Malual Aleu and Mading Achueng health facilities.

For water assistance, six new handpumps and boreholes were drilled, eight handpumps were rehabilitated, a new water yard was constructed in Marial Achak, a borehole was upgraded to mini solar-powered water yards in Amiet Market and seven water yards were repaired, benefiting 21,000 people. Small-scale water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects have supported 900 families (about 4,500 people) and 4,000 schoolchildren throughout the Abyei Area. To mitigate the challenges of lack of ownership and proper management of water points in the area, humanitarian organizations, in consultation with communities, identified water management committees for all water yards and provided training on water systems, the roles and responsibilities of committee members, leadership and conflict management. Plans are under way to conduct technical training on the basic maintenance of water taps and generators once the rehabilitation work for all water yards is completed.

Over 23,000 schoolchildren in 34 primary and secondary schools in southern and central Abyei were provided with meals through a food-for-education programme. Schoolchildren were also provided with psychosocial support in child-friendly schools and schools in the north of the Abyei areas were upgraded. In addition, the Malual Aleu, Maibong, Mabyor, Nyiel and Rumbek primary schools are being rehabilitated. However, physical monitoring and follow-up of the rehabilitation has not been possible owing to the impassable roads. In some schools, the rehabilitation work was postponed due to the heavy rain and floods. Other major services provided included the provision of school recreational activities and individual psychosocial support and home visits.