South Sudan: Response Scale-Up for Highly Food Insecure Areas Situation Report No

South Sudan: Response scale-up for highly food insecure areas Situation Report No. 2 As of 29 January 2021

This report is produced by OCHA South Sudan on behalf of the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG). It covers the period from 1 January to 29 January 2021.

HIGHLIGHTS

• IPC results show the need for scale-up to meet extreme food insecurity. • An estimated 104,000 people are targeted in the response in six “Priority 1” counties in Jonglei, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and Warrap. • People in the six counties are in urgent need of food assistance and livelihood support, WASH, health and nutrition, and protection services. • Response activities in the Priority 1 counties are constrained by reduced physical accessibility, renewed sub-national violence, lack of partner presence, and limited resources. • The COVID-19 emergency mitigation modalities such as reduced capacity in vehicles is affecting the response. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

104K 119K $68.5M people targeted in the six Priority 1 people targeted in the six Priority 1 total funding required to scale up counties between December 2020 counties between April and June humanitarian activities in the six and March 2021 2021 counties

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Based on findings of food security and nutrition projections for 2021 reflected in IPC reports released in mid-December, humanitarian organizations in South Sudan commenced a scale-up of lifesaving operations. The multi-sectoral response focuses on vulnerable people in areas of most severe acute food insecurity in the six counties of Pibor, Akobo, Aweil South, Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South. The response scale-up seeks to provide food and livelihoods assistance, health and nutrition support, protection services, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and logistics support to the most vulnerable people. The scale-up of lifesaving operations targets 104,000 people between December 2020 and March 2021 and 119,000 people between April and June 2021.

The focus of the humanitarian response is to provide complementary, integrated support for people in the areas most affected. While the scale up targets the most vulnerable and acutely food insecure, there are an estimated 870,000 people are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or higher levels of food insecurity in the six counties. The scale-up activities aim to bolster existing services and fill gaps where feasible and takes into consideration the impact on the population of multiple and compounding shocks, made more acute as a result of food insecurity.

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FUNDING

An estimated US$68.5 million is required to scale up response operations to meet the urgent needs of the 104,000 most vulnerable people targeted in the six Priority 1 countries. As of 25 January 2021, $13 million has been allocated to the scale-up through a Reserve Allocation from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF). This represents only 19 per cent of the funding needed. The SSHF is currently reviewing and processing the proposals. The Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) continues to re-prioritize planned activities in the six Priority 1 counties based on available resources. Clusters are also re-allocating resources and reprogramming from ongoing activities and using other supply stocks to accommodate the new high food-insecure caseload.

Food Security and Livelihoods

Needs $22.1M • A total of 119,000 people in need of emergency food assistance and livelihood assistance including distribution of fishing and vegetable kits. funding needed • Livestock needs to be vaccinated, treated and restocked. • An estimated 870,000 people are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or higher levels of food insecurity in the six counties.

Response • In January, 194,640 people reached with food assistance by WFP and other FSL cluster members in Aweil South, Pibor, Akobo, Tonj South and Tonj North counties. Tonj East access and service delivery had been restricted by ongoing insecurity; currently delivery of food items is on-going pending distribution. WFP and its partners plan to reach 233,978 food insecure individuals across the six IPC 5 Counties in January through both under the scaled-up response and the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), then later extended tor Akobo West in February. The duration of assistance in all the IPC 5 classified counties has increased from six to nine months. The Akobo and Pibor food ration size has increased from 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the full month food assorted requirement. • A total of 5,340 people supported with livelihood kits in Aweil South and Tonj North counties in January 2021. However, the major planned scale-up is pending support for projects submitted for funding.

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• In January 2021, livestock support on-going across the six counties with FSL cluster members reached: 339,216 animals vaccinated, 87,365 animals treated, and a total of 10,857 households directly benefited.

Gaps & Constraints • Funding gaps continue to limit the response. A total of $22.1 million is needed to meet the needs of people in the six counties for the period January to April. Resources are spread thin and are being diverted to the six counties from other parts of the country where needs exist. This may result in other locations becoming underserved. • The delivery of humanitarian assistance in Tonj, East, Tonj North and Tonj South counties in Warrap is challenging due to the renewal of sub-national violence in the area. • Physical accessibility challenges in Verteth and Pibor in Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) means that food must be delivered by air, which is increases costs.

Nutrition

Needs $4.8M • A total of 52,716 people in need of nutrition support. funding required Response • Since 1 January, 8,569 people including 5,049 children and 3,520 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) were reached with treatment and prevention services with a reporting rate of 100 per cent from the nutrition sites. • On-going response by 9 partners in 117 Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) and Target Supplementary Feeding Program (TSFP) and 6 Nutrition Stabilization Centres (SC) in 46 payams in the six counties. • Scaling up of Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) and outreach sites in the hard-to-reach areas in Warrap and GPAA. • Mid Upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening conducted in January in Pibor and reached 1,488 beneficiaries including 1,106 children and 382 pregnant and lactating women.

Gaps & Constraints • Insecurity due to on-going sub-national violence in Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South counties and in Manyabor and Lokormoch in Pibor, limits community access to nutrition sites. Nutrition supplements including CSB++ are not being delivered to 12 nutrition sites in Tonj East due to fears of looting. • Limited warehousing capacity in Akobo West and Tonj East are limiting the quantities of supplies that can be delivered on the ground. WFP is considering installation of new mobile storage units (MSU) in Tonj East. • Nutrition sites were damaged by floods in Pibor. As a result, four of nine nutrition sites remain suspended. • Physical access constraints in Pibor limit tracing of beneficiaries in the program and increases program costs due to increased use of more porters to deliver supplies.

Health

Needs $5M • Out of 88 reporting health facilities in the six counties, four are fully functional, 58 are partially functional, and eight are not functional when measured against the Basic funding required Package of Health and Nutrition Services (BPHNS) defined by Ministry of Health. Reports on functionality status of health facilities are not available from 18 health facilities.

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• Measles outbreaks took place in Tonj East, Tonj South, and Pibor counties in 2020, emphasizing need to strengthen routine immunization.

Response • Some 29,000 people were reached with health services in January 2021 through static and mobile health services. • A health partner has been identified to scale up emergency health services through mobile and static health response in Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South counties and will start activities as soon as SSHF reserve allocation funding is disbursed. • Oral Cholera Vaccination Campaign (OCV) in Pibor targeting over 93,000 people one year of age and above is ongoing. • Health partners are finalizing logistical arrangements to airlift emergency health kits to Akobo and Pibor counties from Bor town. Emergency Health Kits will be moved to Aweil South from Aweil Town and for Tonj East, Tonj South and Tonj North counties from Kuajok. • A partner will scale up health response in Akobo through the SSHF reserve allocation, building on another SSHF multi-sectoral response project. • 22,184 children under five were vaccinated against measles in Pibor during a reactive campaign in December 2020.

Gaps & Constraints • No health reports/alerts received from the area where health facilities are not functional; this is negatively affecting active surveillance • There is a risk of importation of cholera in Akobo and Pibor, which border Ethiopia (Ethiopia has reported cholera cases from areas bordering South Sudan). • Security incidents are impeding access in Tonj despite safety assurances received from the state government • Inadequate health service coverage and limited capacity of the health system in South Sudan is a constraint in meeting people’s emergency health needs.

Protection

Needs $6.9M • Some 91,121 people are in need of protection response in the six counties. • This target includes 119 documented unaccompanied and separated children in urgent funding required need of case management and family tracing and reunification (FTR) services in Pibor, Akobo, and Aweil South counties. • A total of 15,593 dignity kits are needed for distribution in the six counties.

Response • Child Protection (CP) partners have reached 11,099 individuals with CP services. This includes case management provided for 43 children (25 girls and 18 boys) in Verteth and Pibor in GPAA; awareness raising for 5,884 individuals in Pibor; and individual, group, or specialized mental health psychosocial and support (MHPSS) provided to 5,007 individuals in Pibor and Gumuruk in Pibor, Denjok and Bilkey in Akobo county. • CP partners have also trained 52 frontline workers (25 women, 27 men) on Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) in Likuangole in Pibor and Bilkey in Akobo counties. • Gender based violence (GBV) partners have provided 6,134 people with GBV services. This includes reaching 3,842 people through awareness raising on GBV risk mitigation, available services, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) in Pibor town, Gumuruk, Likuangole, Verteth, Tenet, Maytakar payams in Pibor in GPAA. • GBV partners have trained 106 frontline workers in Tonj North, Pibor and Akobo counties. • Four complaint and feedback mechanisms established in Pibor town, Gumuruk, Likuangole, and Verteth in Pibor.

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• Three Women and Girls’ Friendly Spaces (WGFS) have been established in Tonj North (2) and Tonj South (1) with 962 women and girls having accessed frontline GBV services. • A total of 4,454 Dignity Kits have been reprioritized from other locations and have been allocated for distribution in Pibor, Aweil South, Tonj North, Tonj South, and Tonj East counties as part of the response scale-up.

Gaps & Constraints: • Access challenges in some locations impact delivery of services and movement of critical protection staff; this is particularly notable in Verteth in Pibor and Akobo, where flooding and inter-ethnic conflict have limited partners’ capacity to provide regular case management and PSS activities. • Previously existing resource constraints for Protection have led to relatively low partner presence in four of the six counties. Additional funding will be required to effectively re-establish protection presence in these areas. Mobile teams will be employed to ensure speed of interventions and to support the scale-up of static partners. • Existing activities have been affected by flooding in Pibor including damage to WGFS and Child Friendly Spaces (CFS). This results in a further service deficit. At least six additional mobile CFSs are required in Pibor Town, Verteth, Gumuruk and Likuangole in GPAA to reach children in deep field locations. • A total of $1 million funding has been secured directed towards four of the six but is not sufficient to cover the protection needs in these locations. Four counties are partially covered via the existing funding for response scale-up, with two counties as yet uncovered. An additional $3.56 million is required to meet the protection needs. • While dignity kits have been reprioritized to the six counties from other sources, a significant gap remains. An additional 11,139 Dignity Kits are required through the core pipeline in the six counties.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Needs $8.9M • 253,000 people in need of the WASH response in the six counties. funding required • Needs include hygiene promotion, distribution of famine prevention kit items including 20 litre bucket, 20 litre jerry can, water purifiers (aquatabs, PuR sachets, filter clothes) and soaps, and rehabilitation of water sources.

Response • Initial needs assessments are being carried out in Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South counties of Warrap. • Response activities include distribution of WASH Famine Prevention kits, rehabilitation of hand pumps and hygiene promotion. • Procurement of Indian Mark II hand pump items, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) kits, soaps, and water storage containers has started, and the supplies are expected to be delivered in-country in mid-February 2021. • Implementation of Rapid Response Funded (RRF) projects will start in early February 2021 in Aweil South as soon as eligibility processes are completed. Technical assessments are already in progress. • The WASH Cluster has deployed an Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) team in the hard-to-reach areas of Manyabol and Gumuruk of GPAA. • The WASH Cluster pipeline has adequate supplies to cover the immediate needs with the current stock (from CERF allocation for flood response) which was stocked to cover the dry season needs. The Cluster is currently using these supplies for response in the six counties on borrowing arrangements and will replenish when funding is secured.

Gaps & Constraints • Lack of partner presence in the hard-to-reach areas of Warrap and Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA). In GPAA the areas identified with no partner presence are Manyabol, Gumuruk, Boma, Mewun and Labarab. In Tonj East county, there is no presence of static partners or Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) partners.

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Logistics

Needs $2.7M • Provision of common logistics services to the humanitarian community, including cargo and passenger air transportation, to ensure partners can implement programmatic funding required activities and provide assistance to 104,000 people in need in the six Priority 1 counties.

Response

• The Logistics Cluster is supporting partners with life-saving humanitarian cargo to scale up logistic service provision in the six counties. Pibor and Akobo airstrips recently became accessible for fixed-wings aircrafts and are now served from Juba, while previously served with helicopters from Bor. • UNHAS provided humanitarian passenger movement services to ensure the deployment of rapid response teams. • To provide physical access to the six counties, three roads in Jonglei are currently being repaired (Bor to Ayod; Duk Padiet to Nyirol and Walgak to Akobo), while efforts to rehabilitate the Bor-Pibor road are ongoing. Completion dates vary between now and April 2021. • The Logistics Cluster has received air cargo transportation requests for Pibor and Akobo counties. However, the Logistics Cluster has not received any requests for air transportation to locations in Aweil South, Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South counties, meaning that they are reachable by road. • The Western Corridor (Juba-Mingkaman-Rumbek-Tonj-Wau-Kuajok-Aweil-Bentiu) is now dried up and fully passable to 40 metric tonne trucks. In addition, the Logistics Cluster, in collaboration with the IOM common transportation service (CTS) project, offers road cargo transportation services to deep field locations from Wau. It is therefore expected that organizations will start to fully utilize these corridors and transport their items to Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South.

Constraints

• The initial SSHF Reserve Allocation enables both the Logistics Cluster and UNHAS to provide additional helicopter rotations to the six counties; however, it is insufficient to provide dedicated aircrafts for cargo and passenger transportation. • Even though physical road conditions are improving as the dry season approaches, physical access to the priority counties remains challenging, especially in Jonglei.

GENERAL COORDINATION

OCHA organizes an Inter-Cluster Operational partner coordination meeting on a bi-weekly basis in Juba. The primary response is being coordinated as close to the response as possible, with county and state-level coordination mechanisms established with partners. OCHA has deployed staff members in Akobo, Kuajok, Pibor and Aweil to coordinate response scale-up.

For further information, please contact: Safari Djumapili, Head of Field Coordination, [email protected], +211 922 453 870 Matthew Mpitapita, Humanitarian Affairs Officer, [email protected], +211 925 547 269

For more information, please visit www.unocha.org/south-sudan To be added or deleted from the OCHA South Sudan mailing list, please e-mail: [email protected]

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