Protection Assessment Buaw, Koch County, Unity State August 30 – September 10, 2014 Protection Assessment – Buaw Payam, Koch County, Unity State September 2014 Page 1 of 11 Table of Contents Protection Assessment ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 1. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 3 2. Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 4 To All Parties in Conflict ................................................................................................................................................ 4 To Protection Actors ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 To the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) .............................................................................. 4 To Other Humanitarian Actors ................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 4 4. Context Overview ....................................................................................................................... 5 5. Humanitarian Intervention........................................................................................................ 6 Food Security .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Non-Food Items (NFI) .................................................................................................................................................... 7 WASH Activities ................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Education ............................................................................................................................................................................ 7 6. Protection Concerns ................................................................................................................... 8 Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) ........................................................................................................... 8 Forcible Recruitment ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Child Soldiers .................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Occupation of Health Facilities...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Unexploded Ordnance/Remnants of War ............................................................................................................ 10 Drunken Soldiers ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 Proximity to the Front Lines ...................................................................................................................................... 10 7. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 10 Protection Assessment – Buaw Payam, Koch County, Unity State September 2014 Page 2 of 11 1. Executive Summary From August 31 to September 10, 2014, Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) travelled to Buaw Payam, Koch County, Unity State in support of a General Food Distribution (GFD) conducted by the World Food Program (WFP). The goals of the mission were to – 1. Engage in protection work related to the distribution, including the identification and consideration of vulnerable populations; 2. Follow up on previously identified protection concerns including rape, harassment, and forcible recruitment of civilians in the area. Buaw has been an important transit point for opposition soldiers for the last several months. During heavy fighting in Koch County early in the year, nearly all residents fled to the bush and returned shortly after the battlefronts stabilized in May 2014. While Buaw did not experience the destruction of homes and infrastructure seen in other areas (and thus not in as much need of shelter items), it did suffer from extensive looting of household NFIs and medical supplies, which host community members identified as top priorities for further humanitarian intervention. Local civil authorities and host communities identified four primary needs – food security, NFI, health, and education. The NP team identified several protection concerns. These include the rape, harassment, and abduction of women who continue to make the journey to Mayom for food and market goods, an issue first identified by NP in June1. Though food distributions in Leer, Mayendit, and Koch Counties have reduced the number, there are still significant risks to those who make the journey. Forced recruitment, including of children, has taken place throughout Unity State. The occupation of health facilities, ill-disciplined soldiers, and proximity to the front lines all affect civilian feelings of security, while unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war (UXO/ERW) also pose a significant risk to host populations and must be cleared to protect not only civilians but humanitarian assistance as well. 1 See the Capacities and Vulnerabilities Assessment (CVA) conducted by NP from 2 – 6 June, 2014 in Leer County. Protection Assessment – Buaw Payam, Koch County, Unity State September 2014 Page 3 of 11 2. Recommendations Based on the findings of this Protection Assessment, NP recommends: To All Parties in Conflict 1. Respect International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and South Sudanese law regarding violence against civilians; and 2. Fully implement the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement from January 23rd, 2014 and the May 9th Agreement, with particular attention to Section 3 of the Cessation of Hostilities regarding Protection of Civilians. To Protection Actors 1. Further assessment to Mayom County, especially to Wicok, Wang Kai, and Mayom town, in order to assess and monitor previously identified concerns, especially regarding women paid to travel in search of food and market goods; 2. Provide protective accompaniment and proactive presence for civilians in areas where risk of violence is acute; and 3. Protection mainstreaming and direct protection support for distributions and other humanitarian activities. To the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) 1. Investigation of human rights abuses, especially of forced recruitment throughout Unity State, and of allegations of rape and abduction by various actors in southern Mayom County; and 2. Assist with the IGAD teams monitoring violations of the CoH agreements, particularly Section 3 on Protection of Civilians. To Other Humanitarian Actors 1. Scale up humanitarian response in Koch County away from the front lines, focusing on Food Security, WASH, NFI, and Protection; and 2. Prioritize protection mainstreaming among respective agencies to incorporate protection concerns into planning and implementation of distributions. 3. Methodology Protection Assessment – Buaw Payam, Koch County, Unity State September 2014 Page 4 of 11 The assessment team gathered information and perspectives on needs by conducting several key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD) with traditional leaders, soldiers, health workers, women, and children in Buaw Town as well as local authorities from Koch and Mayom Counties. The total number of individuals participating was 79. 4. Context Overview Buaw Payam is located in the north-west corner of Koch County, which lies at the heart of Unity State. Koch is made up almost entirely of Jagey Nuer, with the Lam subclan occupying Buaw and its environs. The Jagey are traditional rivals of the Bul Nuer and the Leek Nuer from Mayom and Rubkona Counties, respectively, making Buaw a hot-spot for cattle raids from these counties and from Dinka areas in Warrap State. The current conflict has forced a truce between the various Nuer clans, but there is no indication how long that will last. The most heavily-contested areas in Unity State have proven to be Mayom and Rubkona Counties, which are currently split between government and opposition. Buaw Payam borders Rubkona and Mayom Counties, and is the last point on the road that connects Koch to the main north-south highway running through Southern Unity. This makes Bauw the last place easily accessible by road during the rainy season leading to extensive troop movement through the area. With nearly all opposition-occupied territory in Unity State extremely food-insecure, Buaw has been a particularly important waypoint for informal trade. Mayom County had a good harvest last year, and much of its yellow maize has made its way into Koch, Leer, and Mayendit Counties through Buaw. In addition, Mayom’s trade routes to Warrap and Abyei have remained open, making it an important