Sudan Humanitarian Overview Vol3 Iss6 Final1.Pub
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 AUGUST 2007 Photo Credit: Jean Katumbakana/IOM/2007 IOM distributing UNICEF non-food item (NFI) kits to families affected by the floods in Aweil. DARFUR THIS ISSUE'S HIGHLIGHTS: • FUNDING OVERVIEW — AS OF 30 AUGUST During August, the humanitarian situation in Darfur has de- • DARFUR UPDATE teriorated. The main causes for this trend stem from re- • SOUTHERN SUDAN UPDATE newed displacement. Each week, thousands of civilians flee • MEETINGS & EVENTS – SEPTEMBER 2007 their homes, reaching already overcrowded internally dis- placed persons (IDP) camps. Over 240,000 people have Welcome to the sixth issue of the Sudan Humanitarian Over- been newly displaced or re-displaced during 2007, and view (SHO) for 2007. Produced by the United Nations Office there are now approximately 2.2 million IDPs in Darfur — a for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in col- number that grows every month. In many IDP camps, armed laboration with other United Nations agencies and partner elements are present, and violent incidents are increasing. NGOs, the SHO aims to provide an overview of humanitarian trends and activities in the Sudan, as well as focus on par- Although flooding has been very limited, heavy rains have ticular issues of interest. added to the misery of many communities, with the break- down of sanitary infrastructures, and the spread of water- For questions and comments, please contact: borne diseases in some areas. Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12174454 The humanitarian response to current and new needs con- tinues to be hampered by security incidents. During August, Imad Hassanein, Media Officer, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12178035 seven humanitarian vehicles were hijacked or stolen, and four humanitarian convoys were attacked. Five humanitari- Nahla Zarroug, Information Analyst, United Nations, Khartoum, Sudan ans were kidnapped or abducted, and three were physically Email: [email protected], Telephone: +249-9-12160065 A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in the Sudan, produced by OCHA in collaboration with partner United Nations agencies and NGOs SUDAN HUMANITARIAN OVERVIEW PAGE 2 AUGUST 2007 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 assaulted. To date in 2007, five aid workers have been manitarian emergency, the United Nations Development Pro- killed and 11 injured, while 53 others have been physically gramme (UNDP) organized a seminar in Nyala on “The role assaulted. Many areas of Darfur still remain a hostile envi- of customary law in the promotion of rule of law and peace- ronment for relief efforts. To date in 2007, humanitarians ful coexistence in Darfur”. Topics addressed included the have relocated on 24 occasions, negatively affecting the de- status of customary courts, the relationship between these livery of aid to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries. This courts and the statutory courts, and the traditional methods has a direct and tangible impact on the quality and quantity of dispute resolution in Darfur. The seminar brought to- of aid and results, in some cases, in the inability to reach gether representatives from the judiciary, the Attorney Gen- those in need. eral’s Office, lawyers, police, humanitarians, and civil society organizations. The seminar resulted in several recommen- During August, humanitarian activities had to be suspended dations, on a more effective role for customary law in pro- in several camps due to insecurity. All operations were sus- moting rule of law in Darfur. pended in Zalingei Camp (West Darfur) for two days, while Kalma camp (South Darfur) was closed to aid operations for The UNDP also organized a lecture for Darfurian women on three days. women’s rights in marriage, Islamic law and traditions. The lecturers were a judge of the court of appeal, and the Wali’s Humanitarian access, already hampered by ongoing vio- advisor for women’s and child affairs. Approximately 70 lence, is further restricted by parties to the conflict. Several women from Abu Shouk and Zam Zam IDP Camps attended parts of the Jebel Marra area (West Darfur) have been inac- the lecture. cessible to humanitarians from 16 August. The suspension of assistance in this area is of great concern, at a time when In addition, in close collaboration with the African Mission in new displacements have taken place, and at the peak of the Sudan (AMIS) Training Unit, UNDP completed a two-month hunger and rainy seasons. training programme for 52 AU/AMIS female desk officers on Despite these disturbing signs, however, humanitarians sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in El Fasher. Care- have so far continued to avert a full-scale humanitarian cri- fully tailored to their roles and responsibilities in the field. sis, by bringing relief to an estimated 4.2 million people. The training provided the participants with the practical skills During August, access has been regained or improved in needed to support SGBV victims, as well as to strengthen North Darfur, to the areas of Korma, Kutum, northern Dar possible prevention and protection mechanisms. Zaghawa, and Um Keddada. CENTRAL AND EASTERN SUDAN According to data made available in August, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered 53,000 metric tons (MT) of food During August, the United Nations and partners, in support assistance during July, to approximately 3.1 million benefici- of the Government, have continued in their steady response aries in Darfur. The increased food distribution (up from 2.5 to the floods that have devastated many states of northern million during June) was in response to a rise in vulnerability Sudan. of rural residents during the current pre-harvest 'hunger gap' season. Food distribution in Darfur has resumed to approxi- Grants were allocated to the response from the country-level mately 160,000 people, who had not been reached since Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for US$ 4.8 million, and May. However, 60,000 Darfurians were still not reached in from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for US$ July due to insecurity in some areas. 8.7 million, totalling funding for US$ 13.5 million. These funds enabled the United Nations and partners to respond Meanwhile, approximately 120,000 schoolchildren are en- to the most immediate and life-saving needs. Over 93 % of rolled in the WFP’s ‘Food for Education’ school-feeding pro- these funds went to the provision of clean water and sanita- grammes. tion services (US$ 3.1 million out of 5.2 required in the ‘Flash Appeal’, with 1.6 million people helped by the end of Along with food, over 100,000 non-food items (NFIs) were August), emergency shelter and essential household goods distributed during August, to approximately 30,000 house- (US$ 4.2 million out of 7.2 required, with over 200,000 as- holds, through the ‘Darfur Common Pipeline’ operation facili- sisted), and health care (US$ 6.6 million out of 8.3 required, tated by the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC). with health supplies and epidemic surveillance benefiting Items included blankets, women's clothing, jerry cans, plas- entire states). tic sheeting, sanitary materials, and sleeping mats. In addi- tion, much-needed plastic sheeting was delivered to commu- To date, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its nity centres, clinics, schools, and latrines, to serve as protec- implementing partners have ensured that safe drinking wa- tion against the rains. Since 01 January, the operation has ter is available for approximately 1.6 million people in 12 delivered NFIs to nearly 470,000 households across Darfur. states of northern Sudan, through the chlorination of water sources, including at the household level, and emergency Worsening sanitary conditions in the IDP camps have led to distribution through tankers. Support is also provided for a spread of waterborne diseases. In some cases, this has the repair and construction of latrines in flood-affected ar- been accompanied by worsening malnutrition rates which, eas, benefiting approximately 9,000 people. In parallel, dur- although localised, have required and received urgent re- ing August, over 104,000 people have received home visits sponses. by hygiene promotion specialists supported by UNICEF, while a mass media awareness campaign is estimated to have In a context where the need for rule of law is part of the hu- reached up to ten million people across northern Sudan. A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in the Sudan, produced by OCHA in collaboration with partner United Nations agencies and NGOs SUDAN HUMANITARIAN OVERVIEW PAGE 3 AUGUST 2007 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6 These activities are believed to be significant contributory factors, to the currently lower number of acute water diar- rhoea cases (AWD), compared to 2006, despite that flooding is more severe this year. During August, the NFI ‘Common Pipeline’ operation reached over 14,000 households, of which the vast majority were families affected by floods in the states of Kassala, Khar- toum, Northern Kordofan, Red Sea, and White Nile. A total of approximately 16,000 blankets, 4,500 buckets, 2,000 cooking sets, 18,000 jerry cans, 4,000 mosquito nets, 18,000 pieces of plastic sheeting, 21,000 sleeping mats, and 2,500 bars of soap were distributed during the month. Since the start of the emergency, more than 40,000 house- holds in need have received NFIs. On 28 August, the Government and the United Nations launched a ‘Flash Appeal’ to the international community, requesting US$ 20.2 million to meet the remaining gap. The additional funding is required to cater for the needs of an estimated 265,000 additional people — the ‘planning figure’ of the United Nations and partners — likely to be directly af- fected by floods over the coming weeks; to ensure that clean water reaches 3.5 million people; and for both preventive and curative health response.