AREA-BASED ASSESSMENT IN AREAS OF RETURN OCTOBER 2019 Renk Town, Renk County, Upper Nile State, South Sudan CONTEXT ASSESSED LOCATION Renk Town is located in Renk County, Upper Nile State, near South Sudan’s border SUDAN Girbanat with Sudan. Since the formation of South Sudan in 2011, Renk Town has been a major Gerger ± MANYO Renk transit point for returnees from Sudan and, since the beginning of the current conflict in Wadakona 1 2013, for internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing conflict in Upper Nile State. RENK Renk was classified by the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Analysis Workshop El-Galhak Kurdit Umm Brabit in August 2019 as Phase 4 ‘Emergency’ with 50% of the population in either Phase 3 Nyik Marabat II 2 Kaka ‘Crisis’ (65,997 individuals) or Phase ‘4’ Emergency’ (28,284 individuals). Additionally, MELUT Renk was classified as Phase 5 ‘Extremely Critical’ for Global Acute Malnutrition MABAN (GAM),3 suggesting the prevalence of acute malnutrition was above the World Health Kumchuer Organisation (WHO) recommended emergency threshold with a recent REACH Multi- Suraya Hai Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) establishing a GAM of above 30%.4 A measles Soma outbreak was declared in June 2019 and access to clean water was reportedly limited, as flagged by the Needs Analysis Working Group (NAWG) and by international NGOs 4 working on the ground. Hai Marabat I Based on the convergence of these factors causing high levels of humanitarian Emtitad Jedit Musefin need and the possibility for larger-scale returns coming to Renk County from Sudan, REACH conducted this Area-Based Assessment (ABA) in order to better understand White Hai Shati the humanitarian conditions in, and population movement dynamics to and from, Renk N e l Town. i Emtitad Hai Hai Masara OVERVIEW Shawary Gedim Sora This ABA was developed in order to support humanitarian actors in South Sudan Jebrona Koo r Achie r Hai Salam to identify priority needs and vulnerabilities of the overall population living in areas of return, to evaluate the functionality and accessibility of basic services and critical Abayok infrastructure in the assessed area and to provide an analysis of protection concerns Block North and related topics such as access to justice, housing, land and property (HLP) and social Block West Matakol cohesion. A mixed methods approach was used, combining analysis of secondary data Block East and collection of quantitative and qualitative primary data (see Methodology section). Block South Data was collected in Renk town from 23 September to the 10 October 2019 through Neighborhoods 439 household (HH) interviews, 8 focus group discussions (FGDs), 4 key informant Roads Tong 0 0.5 1 (KI) interviews and 45 mapped infrastructure facilities. River Km 1. REACH, Regional Displacement of South Sudanese, Movement and – April 2020. Trade between Renk County. Upper Nile State, South Sudan and White 3. Ibid. 1 Nile State, Sudan. May 2018. 3. REACH, Renk Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Brief. Renk County, 2. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), South Sudan: Upper Nile State, South Sudan. Acute Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition Situation for August 2019 4. Needs Assessments Working Group (NAWG), Summary of Flagged AREA-BASED ASSESSMENTS IN AREAS OF RETURN OCTOBER 2019 KEY HIGHLIGHTS RENK TOWN INFRASTRUCTURE MAP Displacement status and population security situation before considering a movements return, as explained by FGDs and KIs. Renk county is in the northern sorghum Future returns movements are related to ± and livestock livelihood zone,5 located in the perceived security situation in town, but the northeast of the country and bordering also to the deterioration of living conditions Kurdit Sudan. Traditionally households rely on in Sudan that could act as a pull factor for Nyik arabat II agriculture, arabic gum production, causal a larger number of people returning. %Æ and seasonal labour, trading, fishing, as well as sale of natural resources or Population needs and service Kumchuer alcohol. Renk Town is a transit point for availability %Æ ai %Æ movements to and from Sudan: after the Main needs and vulnerabilities of the Suraya Soma ĂÆ Æ independence in 2011, it became a major population in Renk Town seemed to vary $ ai ÉÆ $Æ destination and transit point for returnees mostly depending on the areas within %Æ from Sudan and since the beginning of the town rather than by the HH profile. usefin arabat I the conflict in 2013, IDPs fleeing conflict Because of the inefficiency of the main %Æ %Æ 6,7 in Upper Nile State. Having one of the water station and the pipeline system, ÓÆ ĚÆ %Æ mtitad Jedit ĂÆ ĂÆ %Æ largest markets in Upper Nile State, Renk only HHs living in the central areas of the W ÉÆ %Æ %Æ ĚÆ hite %Æ %Æ %Æ has attracted people from all over the city reported accessing water directly to ai Shati %Æ ĂÆ %Æ Nile %Æ +Æ country coming for trade, contributing to their shelter while HHs living in the other +Æ +Æ *Æ Æ the diverse composition of population areas of the town had to buy water or mtitad %Æ % ai ai asara groups in the area. rely on public sources. Most primary and Shawary edim ÉÆ During the time of data collection, small secondary schools were also situated in Jebrona Sora percentages of refugee returnees were the central areas of the town and therefore *Æ *Æ ÉÆ Koor Achie %Æ reported returning to Renk Town which more easily accessible for children of ĕÆ r ai Salam ÉÆ *Æ mainly remained a transit point. Most of these communities. Similarly, permanent ÓÆ *Æ Æ the displaced population and refugees structures were identified in the central ě %Æ Primary School (15) *Æ Tap Stand (6) bayok living abroad were originally from the areas of the town, while fragile shelters like Secondary School ÉÆ Stand Tap (5) 9 %Æ West Bank of Upper Nile and reported rakoobas and tukuls were observed in the (5) ÓÆ Water Pump (2) atakol only passing through Renk Town before peripheral areas. These areas which are ĂÆ School not ĕÆ Water Central (1) functionning (4) Observed density score returning to their area of origin, as lacking concrete infrastructure were also ĚÆ Hospital (2) 1 = Less dense *Æ indicated by the August 2019 REACH particularly affected by the recent flooding Primary Health Care 8 ěÆ 2 Tong %Æ Port and Road Monitoring exercise. in 2019, giving rise to additional concerns Unit (PHCU) (1) 3 +Æ 0 0.5 1 HHs originating from Renk but still living for the already vulnerable population living Private clinic (3) 4 $Æ Km in Sudan were reportedly monitoring the in those areas. Nutrition Centre (2) 5 = More dense 5. Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for The Republic of South Sudan Nile State, Sudan. May 2018 (Updated). 7. IOM, DTM South Sudan, Conflict and displacement timeline, Malakal / FEWSNET. August 2018. Upper Nile 2014 - 2016. 2 6. REACH, Regional Displacement of South Sudanese, Movement and 8. REACH, Port and Road Monitornig, Renk, August 2019. Trade between Renk County. Upper Nile State, South Sudan and White 9. Rakoobas are temporary shelters made from straw, while tukuls are mud huts. AREA-BASED ASSESSMENTS IN AREAS OF RETURN OCTOBER 2019 HH SURVEY SECTORIAL FINDINGS (READERS CAN FIND HYPERLINKS TO EACH SECTION BY CLICKING ON THE HUMANITARIAN ICONS) Displacement status and population movments: Due to multiple displacement and large scale population movements in 11% of HHs in Renk Town were reported being refugee the region over the years, it has become difficult to differentiate displaced and non-displaced populations. Findings from the returnees who had returned to Renk from another country HH assessment show that 31% of the assessed HHs report to be non-displaced, 24% refugee returnees, 18% IDPs, 17% IDPs who have returned home, and 11% seasonal/ temporary migrants. WASH: Level of access to water for HHs differed depending on the geographic area. Due to the inefficiency of the main water Almost 40% of the HHs reported practicing open station and the pipeline system, only HHs living in the central areas of the city reported accessing water directly within their defecation due to lack of latrines. shelter, with people from the southern block relying on four public tap stands and residents from the northern areas generally buying water. 47% of HHs reported their shelter being partially or Shelter: Permanent shelter structures were mostly observed in the eastern and western blocks while traditional rakoobas and completely damaged at the time of the assessment tukuls were mostly observed in the southern and northern areas of the town, areas also the most affected by flooding during the 2019 rainy season. 44% of HHs reported the presence of traditional CCCM: Almost half of the HHs reported the presence of traditional community leadership structures (such as committees, community leadership structures operating in their village leaders, etc.) operating in their neighbourhood. Phone networks and television broadcasts were the main sources of neighbourhood information reported. Education: The majority of HHs reported that children in their households have access to primary and secondary education. 15% of HHs reported that boys and girls aged between 6 However, data collected from KI interviews indicated that the overall school infrastructure system was weak: the main issues and 12 years old were not regularly attending school reported were the lack of qualified teachers compared to the number of students, the lack of feeding programs and the lack of functioning latrines and water points near the education facility. FSL: Over a third of HHs reported not being able to access enough food in Renk Town in the month prior to the assessment. The main reported reason for the lack of food was the high price of goods in the market, likely linked to the closure of the border 35% of HHs reported not being able to access enough 10 food during the month prior to the assessment with Sudan since March 2019.