March 28, 2014

Highlights

Conflict that erupted on December 15 has displaced nearly 1.1 million people.

Relocation efforts are underway in UNMISS internally displaced person (IDP) sites to reduce overcrowding in flood-prone areas.

The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) distributes approximately 1,300 metric tons (MT) of food commodities to refugees in Maban County, Upper Nile State.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Relief agencies remain particularly concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Maban County, Upper Nile State, due to tensions between refugees and host community members over scarce resources, access impediments along transportation routes, and a lack of adequate food commodities and emergency relief supplies.

Emergency directors from eight humanitarian agencies visited Bor town, Jonglei State; Mingkaman town, Awerial County, Lakes State; and Nyal payam, Panyijar County, Unity State, during the week of March 17 to gain a better understanding of humanitarian needs and challenges facing response efforts in South Sudan. Following meetings with donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Government of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) representatives, the group emphasized the need for increased humanitarian action and stressed the importance of concurrent assessments and emergency response operations.

In late March, Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, traveled to South Sudan to assess humanitarian conditions and response efforts, identifying issues the humanitarian community must immediately address to prevent further deterioration of the complex emergency.

On March 25, the U.S. Government (USG) announced $83 million in new humanitarian assistance for the crisis in South Sudan. With ongoing support from FY 2013 and 2014, the USG has provided more than $411.2 million in humanitarian assistance.

INSECURITY, DISPLACEMENT, AND ACCESS CONSTRAINTS UPDATE

Ongoing hostilities continue to affect populations across South Sudan, particularly in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states, with approximately 803,200 people internally displaced and an estimated 254,600 additional people seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the U.N. While 68,000 IDPs are sheltering at several UNMISS bases in South Sudan, the majority of IDPs in the country have fled to rural areas where humanitarian access is limited.

Fighting escalated in Malakal town, Upper Nile, during the week of March 17. In recent days, however, the security situation has improved, and relief workers within the UNMISS civilian protection area resumed limited humanitarian assistance activities for the approximately 21,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently sheltering at the base.

Competition for scarce natural resources in Maban is increasing tensions between host communities and approximately 125,000 refugees from Sudan’s Blue Nile State, according to the U.N. The humanitarian community is closely monitoring escalating hostilities, which resulted in the burning of houses, tents, and granaries belonging to both refugees and the local community. Local residents recently demanded that refugees from Maban’s Yusuf Batil and Gendrassa refugee camps—currently hosting approximately 60,000 people—evacuate the area in the next two months, causing nearly 8,000 refugees to flee the Yusuf Batil camp, although most have returned. Host populations near the camp fled as well, citing fears of confrontation with the significantly larger refugee population. The U.N. reports that hostilities also spread to Maban’s Doro and Kaya refugee camps.

Newly acquired humanitarian access to the corridor between Gambella, Ethiopia, and northeastern South Sudan will allow humanitarian convoys to deliver much-needed emergency food assistance to vulnerable populations, including refugees in Maban, as well as IDPs and other conflict-affected populations in Jonglei and Upper Nile.

HUMANITARIAN NEED ASSESSMENTS AND RESPONSE ACTIVITIES

Relief agencies continue to provide limited emergency assistance—including food commodities, health care services, and protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support—to vulnerable populations across conflict-affected areas in South Sudan. As of March 27, humanitarian organizations had reached more than 675,200 people with some form of assistance, according to the U.N. Despite progress, humanitarian actors remain unable to fully meet the needs of assisted populations, due to insecurity and inadequate sustained, predictable access, according to the U.N.

From March 19 to 21, emergency directors of eight humanitarian agencies—including the Danish Refugee Council, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), OCHA, UNHCR, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WFP, and the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO)—visited Bor town, Jonglei; Mingkaman town, Lakes; and Nyal payam, Unity, to gain a better understanding of humanitarian needs and challenges facing response efforts in South Sudan. Following meetings with donors, NGOs, and RSS representatives, the group called for increased action prior to the intensification of the April-to-August rainy season and of concurrent humanitarian assessments and emergency response operations.

CAMP COORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT

Relief organizations continue efforts to relocate IDPs sheltering in the UNMISS Tong Ping compound in Juba town, Central Equatoria State, before the rainy season strengthens. Site congestion and flooding due to the early onset of rains in Juba have resulted in deteriorating shelter, health, and WASH conditions for the approximately 21,000 IDPs residing at the base. UNMISS reports that Tong Ping is ill suited for long-term occupation and hopes to close the site in May. To facilitate voluntary relocations from Tong Ping to U.N. House 3, where an extension site with the capacity to shelter 10,000 IDPs is under construction, relief partners are organizing daily reconnaissance trips to U.N. House 3 for IDPs, holding focus group meetings with community leaders, and disseminating information regarding the new site via USAID partner Internews.

In response to the slow rate of progress on construction of the new U.N. House 3 extension site, IOM recently deployed a senior emergency operations expert to improve coordination efforts and help stake holders develop a comprehensive implementation plan. International relief agencies estimate that relocation efforts to the new site could begin by mid-April if basic health and WASH services are in place. USAID/OFDA’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)—with staff in Juba and Nairobi, Kenya—continues to work closely with all relevant actors to address ongoing coordination, funding, and logistics concerns.

As living conditions worsen at the congested UNMISS IDP site in Malakal town, Upper Nile, which hosts approximately 21,500 people, relief actors remain concerned regarding the slow progress site expansion. According to UNMISS, a team of 50 engineers deployed to build the new IDP site near the UNMISS base to relieve congestion; however, a lack of heavy machinery is hindering construction progress. Relief organizations are working to remedy this situation by procuring the necessary equipment and training local staff to operate the machinery.

FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS

South Sudanese refugees crossing the border into Ethiopia are displaying increased levels of malnutrition, as many of the new arrivals walked long distances with limited access to food or sheltered in rural areas where humanitarian assistance was not available, according to USAID/FFP partner WFP. Deteriorating nutrition conditions among refugee populations are likely indicative of worsening food security conditions in South Sudan, as ongoing hostilities prevent the resumption of market and livelihoods activities. In response to deteriorating food security conditions, WFP is planning a blanket supplementary feeding program, which will target children under five years of age in more than 100 different locations across the country between March and September. The program will provide affected children with a daily ration of Super Cereal Plus—a specialized nutrition product—for up to five months.

In mid-March, WFP airdropped approximately 215 MT of food commodities, including sorghum and Super Cereal Plus, near Ganyiel town, Unity State, to support approximately 25,000 conflict-affected people—including IDPs and members of the host community—inaccessible by land or river. WFP plans to provide 15-day food rations to approximately 250,000 people dispersed across 15 different locations in South Sudan before the end of April via plane and helicopter aircraft.

As of March 27, WFP and partners had provided emergency food commodities to more than 472,000 people across all of South Sudan’s 10 states, with the majority of people reached residing in Jonglei State, according to WFP. Of those reached, approximately 41,000 were children under five years of age residing in Jonglei, Unity, and Warrap states.

HEALTH

Between March 20 and 26, WHO and partners conducted more than 13,100 medical consultations in 17 health facilities serving IDPs across South Sudan. Cases of malaria and acute watery diarrhea accounted for more than 25 percent of total consultations. According to WHO, cases of malaria and diarrhea have increased steadily since the beginning of March, when heavy rains began in some parts of South Sudan.

To prevent cases of cholera, relief agencies have provided oral cholera vaccinations to approximately 54,200 people sheltering in the UNMISS Tong Ping compound and in Mingkaman County, Lakes State. Additionally, relief organizations are increasing community awareness campaigns on communicable diseases in displacement sites.

Despite insecurity and access constraints, WHO continues to scale up health services in conflict-affected Jonglei State. Between March 20 and 26, WHO provided approximately 100 boxes of health supplies, including essential medicines, oral rehydration salts, and surgical equipment, to the State Ministry of Health. The commodities are sufficient to meet the needs of up to 8,400 people for three months and have the capacity to manage approximately 100 trauma cases.

Since December 15, the Health Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian health activities, comprising U.N. agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders—has reached approximately 700,000 people in conflict-affected areas—nearly 37 percent of the target population—with critical health care services, including emergency trauma care, measles and polio vaccinations, and primary and reproductive health care. Despite ongoing relief efforts, the Cluster reports a limited availability of mental health and psychological services across the country, particularly for displaced populations.

LOGISTICS AND RELIEF COMMODITIES

WFP and humanitarian partners IOM and UNICEF have begun deploying mobile response teams to provide critical humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations in remote areas, traveling to two of the nine priority sites across Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile in recent days, according to UNICEF. In addition, a joint UNICEF–WFP mission traveled to Akobo town, Jonglei, to conduct needs assessments and deliver initial relief assistance, including nutrition and WASH supplies and 20,000 doses of the measles vaccine. A joint U.N.–IOM mobile team also deployed to Melut town, Upper Nile, to assess humanitarian conditions and deliver emergency relief supplies.

On March 19, the RSS granted WFP permission to conduct humanitarian convoys between Gambella Region, Ethiopia, and northeastern South Sudan. The newly acquired humanitarian access will allow relief organizations to deliver much-needed emergency food assistance to refugees in Maban County, Upper Nile, as well as IDPs and other conflict-affected people in Jonglei and Upper Nile. During the week of March 24, WFP distributed approximately 1,300 MT of recently acquired cereals to refugees and IDPs in Maban.

PROTECTION

Nearly 320,000 displaced people have received protection services from the U.N. Protection Cluster since January. Cluster partners have provided emergency child protective services, constructed child-friendly spaces, and responded to gender-based violence. Since December, approximately 90 unaccompanied or separated children have been reunited with their families, according to the U.N.

WASH

USAID/OFDA recently provided approximately $290,300 through the IOM-managed Rapid Response Fund (RRF) to deliver WASH support for vulnerable, conflict-affected populations in Ayod and Nyirol counties, Jonglei. Through the RRF, NGO Christian Mission for Development is increasing access to safe drinking water by rehabilitating water points; improving access to sanitation facilities, including latrines, hand washing stations, and emergency showers; distributing hygiene-related relief items; and promoting improved hygiene practices among affected populations.

USAID/OFDA partner World Vision distributed OFDA-procured hygiene kits to more than 800 vulnerable households at the UNMISS base in Malakal—meeting the needs of up to 4,000 people for one month. During the distribution, World Vision staff demonstrated proper use of the kits’ contents, which included a comb, feminine hygiene products, a razor, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and washing detergent. Community-based hygiene promoters plan to follow-up with households to ensure proper and efficient use of kit items. Plans are underway to conduct similar distributions for additional IDPs within the UNMISS base.

OTHER HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

To date, international donors have provided approximately $315 million—nearly 25 percent of the $1.27 billion total requested funding—to support humanitarian activities through the South Sudan Crisis Response Plan.

In mid-March, in response to a U.N. request, the Government of Japan provided 200 tents and 4,000 plastic sheets to UNMISS to support humanitarian response efforts in South Sudan. The shelter materials will support IDPs residing in UNMISS compounds

*Funding figures are as of March 28, 2014. All international figures are according to OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS) and based on international commitments during the 2013 and 2014 calendar years. USG figures are according to the USG and reflect the most recent USG commitments based on the 2013 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2012, and ended September 30, 2013, as well as the 2014 fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2013.