Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area Humanitarian Update as of 8 December 2020 HIGHLIGHTS • Large-scale inter-communal and sub-national violence, mainly during the dry season, and massive flooding during the rainy season have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) in 2019 and 2020. These recurrent shocks have created new humanitarian needs, in addition to those planned for in the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which targets some 1 million people in the area. • More than 100 humanitarian organizations have operated in Jonglei during 2020. Half of them are national NGOs. • Conflict, insecurity, flooding and COVID-19 restrictions have severely impacted humanitarian organizations’ ability to reach the most vulnerable people with much-needed assistance. Of the nine humanitarian workers killed in 2020, eight lost their lives in Jonglei and GPAA. All were South Sudanese. • It is highly likely that sub-national conflict and flooding will occur again in Jonglei and GPAA in 2021 and lead to further displacement and an increase in people’s emergency needs, unless mitigating measures are taken to reduce their impact. Pariang Panyikang Maban Baliet Waves of violence anduair displacementPul Luthni e ana in February-July 2020 Rubkona Atar Kee UPPER NILE Longochuk Guit Atar Tor Fair Pauir d ana Wunam UAN Toch Canal/Pigi Fangak Nyadin Luakpiny/Nasir EHA Pail Maiwut Nyirol CAR Koch uturu Nyirol anda Ulang anien Par UNITY Haat 30,000+ displaced DRC Tonj Ku UA KENYA North ie in May au Ayod Mot Tot Waat Mayendit d n Ayod uu attacks Leer Paeu Patai aiuin ETHIOPIA Pieri Tonj Woi attack sequence East Yuai Akobo Panok Akobo Duk Fadiat Paut May people displaced 20,000+ Fanan Wei displaced ian by June urmat Panyijiar Duk Uror people in urgent need of assistance Rumbek u aue JONGLEI North 20,000+ July February displaced by June Twic East Kongor air Paa 3,000+ ara Rumbk displaced by June Tao East Wanei Liuangole Paiau 20,000+ Pochalla Maar displaced by March Pibor Yirol East tinanu a ae Gumuru ania iait rat uri Kolmere June ana LAKES Boltir Bor South June-July ongoing Padaaidit Yirol West idi Pen eun Bor Pibor 60,000+ ma nidi Awerial displaced by July UNMISS presence 17,000+ displaced recommended by June UNMISS presence Terekeka EASTERN EQUATORIA Kapoeta aanr Kapoeta Lafon North East Figures used are estimates using best available sources at the time. HUMANITARIAN SITUATION Successive cycles of inter-communal violence and seasonal estimated 387,000 people in Jonglei and another 141,000 people in flooding are not new to Jonglei and GPAA, however, both have GPAA were affected by floods during the rainy season from May to intensified in the last few years. As a result of the violence and December 2020. flooding, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, People affected were already acutely food insecure, with many in increasing their vulnerability and acute humanitarian needs. In 2020, Crisis and Emergency levels of food insecurity (Integrated Food the people in Jonglei and GPAA were first affected by four waves Security Phase Classification, or IPC, Phases 3 and 4 respectively). of large-scale, organized violence during the dry season in the first According to the IPC analysis published in early 2020, people living half of the year. Inter-communal violence and revenge attacks at the in the subsequently flood-affected counties were in IPC Phase 4 sub-national level displaced an estimated 157,000 people in the Bor with the exception of Bor South and Twic West who were in IPC South, Duk, Nyirol, Twic East and Uror counties and GPAA. Then, an Phase 3. 1 Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area Humanitarian Update as of 8 December 2020 As a result of the violence, humanitarian staff had to relocate. humanitarian services to people. Access to the labour market as Organizations’ ability to respond to people’s needs was greatly well as reliance on coping mechanisms, such as collection of wild reduced, especially in GPAA, with only small-scale teams left in food and construction materials, charcoal production and hunting, Pibor. were constrained by movement restrictions due to floods, insecurity and COVID-19. This has affected the income and resource levels of Seven years of recurrent conflict, floods and resulting displacement many people. have led to protracted and increasing vulnerability of communities living in Jonglei and GPAA, compounded by frequent disruptions to Conflict and flood-affected people by county as of November 2020 eole aected in Jonglei State 2 and reater Pibor Administrative Area 387K 141K flood-af flood-affected flood-affected 220 peopl y 205 people only 15 people only mix conf mixed conflict and mixed conflict and 308 flood-af e 182 flood-affected people 126 flood-affected people anaii Fana 3 36K 7K 50 28 irol Ayod 581 et Akobo u 56 148 Urr 18 at Paa Ti at iuane 15 2K 3K 31 26 Paa tn ir tn umuru 28 5 daeted pepe 7 Vertet 29 rein 30 94 aara mied nit and daeted pepe r ut 29K 30 ir nitia apid eed ement or mpeted nitia apid eed ement pendin Figures used are estimates using best available sources at the time. HUMANITARIAN ACCESS An upsurge in violence severely impacted humanitarian operations to respond. In February, in and around Pibor, about 80 aid workers in Jonglei in February 2020. Local authorities advised humanitarian were relocated. In June, fighting between different groups in Jonglei organizations to limit their activities beyond Pibor town. The main resulted in the relocation of close to 70 humanitarian staff. supply route from Bor to Pibor was cut off due to insecurity during Of the nine humanitarian workers killed in 2020, eight lost their lives much of the dry season and later due to the poor road conditions in Jonglei and GPAA. All were South Sudanese. In Pibor in February, during the rainy season. Looting of supplies during the violence was one aid worker was killed at a roadblock along the Pibor-Gumuruk common and a major setback to the humanitarian response. Around road set up by unknown armed youth. In May, three humanitarian 20 looting incidents have been recorded since February with many workers were killed when fighting erupted in and around Pieri humanitarian facilities and infrastructure damaged or destroyed town, Uror. In July, two aid workers who were providing healthcare in Gumuruk, Likaungole, Manyabol and Pieri, among others. The and nutrition services to community members in Pajut town, Duk rise in insecurity led to the relocation of nearly 150 aid workers County, were killed when an unknown armed group attacked the from Jonglei, impacting the ability of humanitarian organizations 2 Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area Humanitarian Update as of 8 December 2020 town. In October, a team of humanitarian workers was attacked by Due to the flooding, humanitarian services had to be suspended unidentified armed men on a road near Pibor town. One aid worker and staff relocated as roads to affected people were washed away was killed and another injured. in many areas. As of the time of writing, many remote locations in Jonglei State and GPAA continue to be inaccessible. Air transport COVID-19 related restrictions have reduced emergency response by helicopter and boat transport often remain the only way to reach teams’ ability to respond effectively. With the onset of the rainy people in flood-affected areas. season, road access to many locations in Jonglei became a challenge and air support was required to reach people in need. HUMANITARIAN COORDINATION AND PRESENCE A total of 105 humanitarian organizations have operated in Jonglei GPAA are based in Akobo (Akobo town), Ayod (Jiech), Fangak, during 2020. They include 56 national NGOs, 43 international NGOs Nyiol (Lankien), Pibor (Pibor town and Boma), Pochalla, Uror (Pieri), and 6 UN agencies, funds and programmes. The humanitarian Twic East and Duk and Mingkaman (in Lakes State). The primary footprint reduced considerably during the first months after response is coordinated as close to the area of humanitarian needs COVID-19 was confirmed in South Sudan in April and when sub- as possible, supported by teams at the Jonglei and GPAA-level and national conflict broke out during the dry season, before increasing from Juba, as needed. A monthly coordination meeting is held to again. Funding shortages and floods also reduced partners’ ensure coordination among humanitarian partners and authorities. frontline operational capacity, including the number of national Where humanitarian needs transcend the response capacity of NGOs in remote locations. Jonglei-based actors, the Bor ICCG requests support from Juba- Weekly Jonglei State and GPAA Inter-Cluster Coordination Group based mobile response teams like the Emergency and Preparedness (ICCG) meetings are held and chaired by OCHA’s Bor sub-office. Response (EPR) team. Integrated Rapid Response Mechanism These meetings are attended by Bor-based cluster focal points and (IRRM) teams, composed of food, livelihood and other response Deep-Field Coordinators (DFCs). DFCs are NGO representatives components, have prioritized hard-to reach communities in northern in deep-field areas, who on a voluntary basis enable coordination Jonglei State with urgent, lifesaving interventions. functions such as convening regular humanitarian coordination A local Solutions Working Group is active to support the return of meetings with support from OCHA. Currently, DFCs in Jonglei and IDPs from Bor IDP site and beyond to their places of origin. FLOOD RESPONSE Humanitarian actors are responding to people’s needs or are responding in Pibor. Additional mobile sites are planned in Ayod planning to do so in different flood-affected areas in all nine and Pochalla and Fangak. A measles outbreak in GPAA was stopped counties of Jonglei State (Bor South, Twic East, Duk, Ayod, Fangak, through a reactive campaign.