SUDAN
Over 30,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan since the beginning of 2017. This is half of the UNHCR’s influx prediction for the whole of 2017. This is likely a result of both famine affecting Unity state in South Sudan, and renewed fighting between government and opposition forces in Upper Nile, which resulted in high levels of displacement, notably towards Sudan. This is likely to further strain resources in the southern states of Sudan, most of which are conflict-affected areas and have limited access to aid.
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YEMEN
The UN is warning that Yemen is 'on the brink of famine', with over 14 million people in need of food assistance out of a total population of 24 million. Half of this population in need, 7.1 million people, primarily in the south and west of the country, are in IPC phase 4 and are in urgent need of food assistance to avoid famine (IPC phase 5). The number is expected to increase over coming months as the ongoing conflict continues to cause significant disruptions to food imports, market functioning and agricultural production. At least a further 7 million people are food insecure (IPC phase 3), and the situation continues to deteriorate.
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AFGHANISTAN
Education throughout the country has been affected by conflict and insecurity, as teachers and students have been killed and injured, and hundreds of schools have been closed. Thousands of children are out of school as parents keep them at home for their own safety. On 25 February, two children were killed and eight others were wounded, including one teacher, when a mortar round struck a primary school in Laghman Province. In Kandahar province, over 150 schools are not functioning leaving almost 50,000 children without access to formal education. In Badakhshan province, more than 12,000 children are out of school in Warduj district alone. Education officials in the district say schools will remain closed until the security situation improves. There are growing concerns that insecurity will only increase during the upcoming spring season and further limited access to education.
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