SUDAN EMERGENCY FLASH UPDATE

Issue No. 3 – as of 20 June 2019

REFUGEE PROTECTION

Khartoum ▪ Following attacks against South Sudanese refugees in on 6-7 June, over 4,500 refugees have reportedly fled to other areas in Khartoum and to camps in White Nile State.

Of these 4,500 secondarily displaced refugees, some 450-500 South Sudanese families (approx. 2,250-2,500 individuals) have reportedly relocated to Bantiu 'open area', a refugee informal settlement in Khartoum.

▪ A joint UNHCR and COR assessment mission visited the affected population in Bantiu ‘open area’ on 13 June. Urgent needs for NFIs, shelter, clean water and sanitation were found. Discussions were held with local authorities about modalities to assist relocated refugees.

▪ As part of the inter-agency response, coordinated by UNHCR, a non-food item (NFI) distribution is planned to start on 23 June. The distribution will target all the refugees in Bantiu ‘open area’, as the rainy season is about to begin. Meanwhile, COR is working with local authorities to establish a security committee to manage tensions between the host community and the new arrivals. Registration teams will also be dispatched to Bantiu ‘open area’ settlement in the week of 23 June, to register the refugees who had not been registered before fleeing to Bantiu ‘open area’.

▪ Thirty-six of the refugees arrested or detained following the attacks have meanwhile been released, while UNHCR’s legal partner is pursuing the remaining cases.

▪ UNHCR noted only a 50 per cent turnout in the number of refugees who collected their cash assistance at the UNHCR office, a significant drop from last month, that can be attributed to the security situation as refugees are concerned about movement outside of their areas.

▪ UNHCR is concerned about increased tensions with host communities and increasing risk of refugees being attacked, arrested or detained, for more than 410,000 refugees and asylum- seekers living in Khartoum State. White Nile ▪ An estimated 2,000 South Sudanese refugees have reportedly fled from Khartoum to White Nile State camps following the above-mentioned attacks in Khartoum. UNHCR and COR teams have completed household registration for 1,953 individuals that includes recent new arrivals.

▪ A joint biometric food distribution was carried out by COR, World Food Programme (WFP) and COR in Um Sangour on 20-21 June 2019 reaching almost 1,600 new arrivals (including refugees relocated from Khartoum).

▪ UNHCR is following up on reports that new arrival refugee youths raided a host community village on 17 June.

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EMERGENCY FLASH UPDATE / ISSUE NO.3 – 20 JUNE 2019

South Sudanese refugees in White Nile state camps Food distribution in White Nile camps for South Sudanese undergoing registration refugees displaced from Khartoum

▪ Some water facilities have been vandalized and water pumps stolen in camps in White Nile State (Khor Al Waral, Dabat Bosin and Alagaya), disrupting water supply. UNHCR has supported partners to restore water supply and provided almost 200,000 water purification sachets to 20,000 refugees to mitigate against use of untreated river water.

▪ A refugee man in White Nile was shot dead on 12 June in Khor Al Waral camp. UNHCR and COR teams have visited the camp to get more information and the investigation is ongoing. The refugee community has expressed need of increased police security and protection.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDP) PROTECTION

Darfur ▪ UNHCR received reports of IDPs being denied access to their farming land in West, North and by armed groups. Land disputes and lack of access to farm-lands are serious issues in Darfur areas and a potential trigger for escalation of tribal conflicts. This also has the potential to rapidly impact livelihoods, protection and food security as the cultivating period is short.

▪ In , farmers have reportedly evacuated their farms and moved to Geneina town following threats by militia. Two IDP youth were kidnapped on 17 June, while cultivating. There are also reports that four men and six women who were working on their farms east of Kirinding 1 IDP camp were attacked by armed groups. There is heightened presence of RSF in Geneina.

▪ In , IDPs continue to report blocked access to their farms near IDP camps and increased attacks outside camps. Movement restrictions have been reportedly established for Zamzam IDP camp.

▪ In Central Darfur, in Hassa Hissa IDP camp, IDP community leaders reported that they continue to be prevented from accessing their farm land, with farmers in some areas receiving SDG 30- 40,000 payment demands for securing their crops.

▪ UNAMID confirmed that 17 people were killed, 15 were injured, and more than 100 houses were burnt in inter-tribal conflict in Deleig, Central Darfur. UNHCR will take part in an interagency mission to Deleig, postponed twice and now scheduled for 26 June, to assess the humanitarian situation in the affected area.

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EMERGENCY FLASH UPDATE Sudan / ISSUE NO.3 – 20 JUNE 2019

Kordofans ▪ UNHCR has been participating in an interagency assessment in the eastern corridor of , which started on 17 June, focusing on assessing the needs of IDPs and returnees.

OPERATIONAL IMPACT

▪ Looting and vandalism of humanitarian facilities has occurred in Graida, , in Gereida on, 19 and 20 June, when protestors invaded the offices of the INGO World Vision International (WVI) and destroyed several properties. The protestors also ransacked the Graida office of World Food Program (WFP), where an unspecified amount of money was stolen, and four vehicles vandalized. UNHCR has also been affected by theft of non food items from WFP’s shared warehouse space. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that since April there have been 20 incidents of looting, mostly in Darfur, disrupting humanitarian activities.

▪ Internet blackout continues across Sudan and is exerting a heavy toll on information sharing with and between partners. UNHCR is able to maintain internet connectivity in all duty station sub- offices through VSAT, while White Nile is a private provider. 45 per cent of the partners in the Refugee Consultation Forum in Khartoum have no internet connection. UNHCR is providing office space to partners to access internet at the UNHCR Khartoum office and is working to facilitate similar access in more field locations.

▪ Price fluctuations since the beginning of the year has worsened recently and most goods have been scarce on the local market, which is a condition expected to continue, with prices rising continually. The fuel shortage has worsened in field locations and UNHCR expects that this will impact current partner budgets. UNHCR is ensuring access to fuel through an MOU with WFP, that particularly serves the need in most remote locations.

▪ Access to cash remains extremely challenging. Banking services have not been fully available since the closure on 3 June due to the general strike, interruption of internet connection and overall security situation. In addition to the direct impact on people's needs, this has an effect of partners not being able to implement project activities within the given time frame. With the rainy season approaching, implementation delays are foreseen.

For more information: Raffaella Vicentini, Snr External Relations Officer [email protected]

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