by Peter Beaumont
The canoe is barely visible at first, a dark shape moving among the lily pads and grasses in the vast expanse of South Sudan’s Sudd marshes.
The little craft is laden with five villagers – faces anxious and tired – and the few possessions they were able to rescue as they fled fighting around the counties of Leer and Mayendit, two days distant by boat.
INTRODUCTION
The onset of the conflict in South Sudan in December 2013 changed the landscape of humanitarian access to populations in the conflict-affected states in the Greater Upper Nile region.
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
In early 2017, Chad was found to have pockets of severe food insecurity with population facing serious nutritional issues.
This quarterly update is compiled by OCHA ROSEA to support growth in innovative policy, practice and partnerships in humanitarian action to better engage with disaster-affected communities across Southern and Eastern Africa.
How can we better support innovation in emergencies
Agnes Schneidt, Innovation Officer (Energy and Environment), looks back on UNHCR’s operations in Uganda and lessons learned for the future:
Peter Martell in Riwoto
The breath is shallow and ragged, as if the intake of air is painful for two-year- old Lotabo Loworet, his bony ribs visible through his ragged shirt.
“I had nothing to feed the baby,” says Lowerio Loworet, his aunt, who has looked after the boy since Lotabo’s mother died of a fever in the Kapoeta region, in the far southeast of war-torn South Sudan. “I was afraid he would die.”
As well as severe acute malnutrition, he is suffering from medical complications including pneumonia, causing a cough that wracks his tiny body.
Are new talks between Kiir and Machar a sign that regional and global pressure is paying off?
22 JUN 2018 / BY MERESSA K DESSU
Nearly two years since their last meeting, rival leaders President Salva Kiir and Dr Riek Machar met face to face on 20 June in Addis Ababa to start a new round of talks to end South Sudan’s prolonged civil war. Will they use this new opportunity to genuinely look at peace dividends?
OVERVIEW: APRIL REVISION
The South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) 2017 articulates the regional protection and humanitarian needs of an anticipated 2.13 million South Sudanese refugees by 31 December 2017. The RRRP outlines the inter-agency response strategy and financial requirements of 58 agencies responding across six countries of asylum: Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
Overview
Overview
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) manages the common pipeline for the Shelter and NFI Cluster by procuring, transporting and storing stocks throughout South Sudan. Supplies are accessible to Cluster partners ensuring sectorial coverage of the current and future needs more efficiently.
This is a live document and is only intended to display tentative transportation plans, based on the best information available at the time of publication. It may be revised or updated (without notice) as the situation changes and new information becomes available.
• Children on the move:
Natural disasters and conflict has forced 8.5 million people to flee their homes across South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Conflict is the largest driver of displacement – with children often witnessing or experiencing horrific violence, exploitation and abuse.
• Families facing starvation:
More than 12 million children go to bed hungry across South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya everyday. Children don’t have enough to eat because of various crises – drought, conflict, flooding or hyperinflation.
• Alarming malnutrition rates:
In the lead up to the lean season of May–July 2018, the nutrition situation is expected to deteriorate significantly as a result of unprecedented levels of food insecurity, outbreaks of diarrhea and other illness, poor infant and young feeding practices as well as limited access to services due to the heavy rains. During this period, the counties of Leer and Mayendit in Unity and Longochuk and Renk of Upper Nile are expected to reach Extreme Critical levels (IPC Phase 5) as per the IPC for Acute Malnutrition Classification (GAM ≥ 30%).
Ongoing fuel shortage across Sudan hindering refugee operations.
Delayed site extensions for refugee camps in East Darfur.
Heavy rains damage shelters and refugee school in South Kordofan.
Population Update
OVER 2,600 SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES ARRIVE IN MAY – Decreasing new arrival flows continued through May, with 2,641 refugees arriving to East Darfur, White Nile, West Kordofan and South Kordofan. This brings total new arrivals in 2018 so far to 20,327.
During the month of May 2018, 11,466 persons from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and other countries, arrived in Uganda—the majority from South Sudan.
Refugees from South Sudan report fleeing primarily out of fear of being killed by fighters from either side of the conflict inside the country, while those from DRC report violence related to the upcoming elections as main reason for departure.
New York 19 June 2018 As delivered
Your Excellency Vice-President Mattila,
As delivered Distinguished delegates. Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Vice President, thank you very much for your opening remarks and for your excellent leadership in overseeing the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of ECOSOC. I also thank the President of ECOSOC and the ECOSOC Bureau members for their support. And I take the opportunity to acknowledge the co-facilitators, Switzerland and Zambia, for their stewardship of this year’s ECOSOC humanitarian resolution.
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
In May 2018, tens of thousands of people were displaced as a result of continued clashes in several parts of Unity, including Mayom, Rubkona, Guit, Koch, Leer and Mayendit. The people of Leer County suffered the worst of the fighting, with over 40,000 people reported to be displaced to the swampy areas of Meer, Pap, Kok, Dir and Toch-Riak. Partners continued to report the burning down of villages, looting, indiscriminate killings and sexual violence. In Central Equatoria, sporadic fighting was reported outside Yei town.
