JUNE - AUGUST BRIEFING 2018

Humanitarian Figures Highlights

Humanitarian JUNE-AUGUST BRIEFING 2018 > The Voluntary Return and Resettlement Commission claim 80,000

5.5 million people have returned to their original villages in South Kordofan people in Sudan need

humanitarian assistance. > Flooding has affected more than 142,000 people in fourteen of According to a report by the UN, Sudan’s eighteen states this is an increase of 0.7 million Sudanese authorities are prosecuting activists, protestors and compared to 2017 ……… > journalists 2 million Internally Displaced People [IDPs] > Omar al-Bashir directs the government in to encourage the need support in Sudan. New return of displaced people to the state crises are emerging in southern and eastern states (UN Report) 1.2 million Key Developments

refugees are seeking asylum in Sudan. An influx of 200,000 > While many people are returning to their homes, there are people from South Sudan is situations of new and protracted displacement in South Kordofan and expected by the end of the year Blue Nile. New UNAMID bases in Jebel Marra, South Kordofan and (UN Report ) …… Blue Nile has led to identification of new needs for IDPs 4.8 million > The African Union Peace and Security Council has expressed its people are living at emergency anxieties over the proposed reduction of UNAMID’s area of levels of food insecurity in Sudan, operation. The UN’s decision to downsize its peacekeeping mission in according to the Food Security Darfur is feared to have a damaging impact on similarly fragile states Technical Secretariat (FSTS) in Sudan 694,000 children are suffering from Severe > Journalists are being prosecuted by Sudanese authorities as the Acute Malnutrition. Many states government continues to restrict political freedoms. Forms of in Sudan have a malnutrition correspondence between Sudan and the international community prevalence above 15% (UN are prohibited, effecting censorship of its policies and obstructing Report) reports on atrocities in the region

Key Individuals, Context: Places and Conflict between Sudanese Arabs and Indigenous African tribes has emerged in Groups reaction to decades of ethnic and religious persecution in Sudan. Adhering to › Khartoum : capital Sharia Law and the government in Khartoum, 97 per cent of the Republic of city, centre of Sudan practice Sunni Islam, while Christian minorities and those following government and of different divisions of Islam are marginalised in fragile conflict states in the south. commerce … Under President Omar al-Bashir, the Khartoum government systematically › Omar al -Bashir: persecutes the ethnic and religious minorities of Sudan. Al-Bashir was convicted President of the by the International Criminal Court for genocide, war crimes and crimes against Republic of Sudan humanity for his actions in Darfur that killed 300,000 (according to UN estimates). 1989 – Present ...... The president is yet to be brought to justice for Darfur and acts of atrocity that › UNAMID : The United continue against persecuted groups. Since the start of the civil war, which Nations African Union resulted in the split of South Sudan into a separate nation in 2011, an estimated Mission in Darfur 2 million civilians h ave been killed under the scorched earth policy which › ICC: International destroyed health facilities, infrastructure, places of education and religious Criminal Committee worship. (International tribunal in The government continues to restrict religious freedoms post-independence: the Netherlands) violent conflict has erupted in Blue Nile and South Kordofan, amongst many other › South Kordofan and states, as ethnic minorities are locked into political dispute with Khartoum. Blue Nile: southern Humanitarian relief organisations are refused entry in conflict zones, and human conflict zones isolated rights investigations are forbidden. Famine, displacement, and ongoing threats by ethnic and political dispute with Khartoum of religious and ethnic persecution severely afflict these minority communities.

A Map of Sudan: Blue Nile and South Kordofan States Demographics ……… Sudanese Arabs account for 70% of the total population. The minority is made up of Arabized groups such as Nuba, Copts and Beja, and peoples belonging to more than 500 Indigenous-African tribes. The current estimate of Sudan’s post-independence population is placed at 41.5 million. Projections suggest that one million live in Blue Nile, representing more than 40 ethnic groups, and 2.5 million people account for the multi-ethnic population of South Kordofan.

Latest Developments Situations of displacement develop in South Kordofan Osman Youssef al-Massur of the Voluntary Return and Resettlement Commission reported that 80,000 people have returned to South Kordofan, resettling in 68 villages in the state. Al- Massur emphasised the need to continue operations to complete the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their villages, calling on the international community to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to Sudan. The Commissioner has also asked for aid from the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Federal Humanitarian Aid Commission to support IDPs who are returning to their homes after years of displacement. This report fails to completely represent situations of displacement in the region, as other areas in South Kordofan and in the Blue Nile continue to suffer from localised violence. Clashes are ongoing between sedentary farmers and nomadic pastoral communities. Disputes over access to, and use of land and resources is an extremely problematic issue in many Sudanese conflict-affected areas. The pressures of protracted displacement are eroding community resilience to withstand shocks, placing displaced and nomadic peoples in high-risk situations. Flooding affects over 142,000 people across Sudan Torrential rains created a humanitarian emergency in many vulnerable communities in Sudan. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed that the households and livelihoods of 14 out of 18 of Sudan’s states have been damaged, West Kordofan, Kassala and Gedaref being the most severely hit by the rainy season. While most of the affected in Kassala and West Kordofan have been provided with humanitarian assistance including emergency shelter, mobile clinics, water chlorination and food aid supplied by international and local NGOs, flood affected people in Gedaref and many other states are in desperate need of humanitarian relief efforts. The rains have caused significant damage to infrastructure, causing destruction of health institutions, schools and latrines, and destroying many farming livelihoods which are greatly relied upon by communities. Omar al-Bashir promotes voluntary return in South Darfur President al-Bashir has instructed the government of South Darfur to encourage the return of displaced Darfuri people to the state, claiming their stability and security will be ensured by protective measures. Discussions between the President and Governor Adam El-Faki deliberated over the conditions of security, and resolution of tribal disputes in Darfur. As reported by Radio Dabanga, a station that broadcasts social issues and reports on humanitarian situations, at least nine people have been killed since the start of the current agricultural season in Gerida in South Darfur, all of whom were voluntary returnees. Radio Dabanga was told “lack of security today represents the biggest challenge for the return of

displaced people”. On the 20th June, two women were injured in a militia attack returning to Kutum, and on 18th June, 19 people were injured in nearby Tuma. Concerns expressed over the restructuring of UNAMID On the 30th June, an agreement was finalized that would see the African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) minimize its area of operation. UNAMID will withdraw from four areas in Darfur, aiming to end its operation in the region within two years. This decision has caused concern for many governmental organisations, as well as international and national NGOs. Amnesty International has released satellite images depicting extensive damage caused by the armed and violent attacks that continue to unfold in the region. Earlier this year, similar attacks displaced between 12,000 and 20,000 Darfuri people who are currently living in caves in the Marra Mountains. Dr. Joan Nyanyuki of Amnesty International has commented: “The UN security council must continue the mandate of UNAMID to safeguard and protect the lives and human right of the people of Darfur.” The impact of U.S. lifted sanctions The removal of long-standing sanctions have “so far done little to avert the continued deterioration of Sudan’s oil-dependent economy or improve the country’s attractiveness to foreign investors”. Hafiz Mohammed, from the human rights group Justice Africa Sudan, says the government’s actions in conflict zones such as Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, are to blame for Sudan’s economic crisis. Sudanese officials are holding the U.S to account, claiming that Washington has done little to raise awareness of ‘low-risk’ trading with Sudan. The country has not been removed from the State Department’s official list of sponsors of terror. The Department claims Sudan is “not favourable for American firms”, and cited ‘corruption’ and ‘conflict’ as two of the multitude of reasons it is a high risk trading country. Political freedoms limited further by criminal prosecution On the 14th June, the foreign media department of Sudan revoked the license of Qatari correspondent to the Middle East. Mr. Ahmed Yousif has been disabled from corresponding with the region. The UN Human Rights Council has been approached with concerns over the humanitarian situation in Sudan, reporting of trumped-up criminal prosecutions made against journalists, protestors and human rights advocates. While Sudan attempts to enter international trade deals, it is heavily censoring human rights abuses in the region. Restrictions on the media are tightening, while violent crackdowns on peaceful protests are shutting down criticism of the government. Sudanese authorities recently failed to hide the reinstatement of Noura Hussein’s death sentence, which she was pardoned for after a global media campaign brought scrutiny to the region.

Timeline 14th June: Sudan revokes the license of Qatari correspondent and begins to prosecute journalists and activists reporting human rights issues in Sudan 18th June: Sudan’s economy is analysed following the lifting of sanctions last year: a crisis is predicted by experts 18- 20th June: Militia attacks occur in Kutum and Tuma injuring 21 people returning to their homes in Darfur 24th June: 80,000 displaced people return to their homes in South Kordofan 30th June: A decision is made to curb the efforts of UNAMID’s operation in Darfur 30th July: Meeting between Omar al-Bashir and Governor Adam el-Fakir takes place to discuss the return of displaced people to Darfur state July: Flooding across fourteen states affects more than 142,000 people living in Sudan August: An investigation into the humanitarian situation of Sudan was conducted over August, leading to an appeal to the UN Council for Human Rights with concern for the region