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Sudan: Conflict – Flash Update #9 West Darfur As of 16 February 2021

Pays
Soudan
Sources
OCHA
Date de publication

Last updated: 16 Feb 2021

KEY POINTS

  • Inter-agency teams visited nine villages, including settlements of agro-pastoralists, outside of Ag Geneina town to assess the needs of people affected by the inter-communal violence earlier in January.

  • The teams found that 24,900 people were displaced to Kereneik town, Sisi, Muli, and Masterei following attacks on several villages between 17-18 January. In Shukry, a pastoralist village, about 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were identified.

  • Humanitarians are finalizing plans to respond to the needs of vulnerable people in the locations visited, including the nomadic villages.

  • Emergency development funding is needed to address long term issues that continue to drive humanitarian needs.

Situation

On 14 February, the leaders of Massalit and Arab tribes signed an agreement in Ag Geneina town, capital of West Darfur State to end hostilities that led to inter-communal violence last month. The agreement was signed under the hospices of the Sovereign Council delegation that arrived in Ag Geneina last week to mediate between the communities and kickstart the process of reconciliation. The negotiations were mediated by the Deputy Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) General Abdulrahim Dagalo.

The inter-agency assessment teams visited six villages in Kereneik, Sisi, Muli, and Masterei and identified about 24,900 people who were displaced following attacks on Almazroub, Marinjo, and Abu Naiema villages in Kereneik locality, Magmeri village in Mornei locality, and 21 villages around Muli in Ag Geneina locality on 17 and 18 January. The IDPs in Kereneik reported that the attackers looted livestock, burnt nine water pumps, and 75 per cent of their crops were destroyed. The priority needs of the IDPs are emergency shelter and non-food items (ES/NFIs) and food.
About 2,000 people were displaced from Um Dwein, Ag Geneina, Wadi Rata and Kadmoli villages and arrived in Shukry due to recent violence in and around Ag Geneina. Most of the newly displaced people are sheltering with host communities and their main needs are access to health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, education, food and ES/NFIs.

In the nomadic settlements, access to safe water is a major problem. During the summer season, residents depend on water from hafeers (water sources), which often become contaminated as they are shared with animals. The local population are agro-pastoralists, three-quarters of whom cultivate and rear livestock. The residents have managed to harvest only 40 per cent of their crops this season due to the conflict. They report that their living conditions have deteriorated due to limited income and increasing prices of basic commodities.

Overall, the profile of needs among agro-pastoralists in As Salaam, Um Shijeira and Shukry is similar to settlements that have never received assistance. The residents of As Salaam Village reportedly decided to settle in the area two years ago due to conflict in other parts of the state. The residents of Um Shijeira and Shukry established their settlements in 1972 and 1951 respectively.

Sector partners are mobilising resources and supplies to assist the vulnerable people in these newly visited locations based on the findings and recommendations of the inter-agency missions. In the three nomadic/agro-pastoralist villages outside Ag Geneina, there is also an urgent need for development funding to address issues that are driving humanitarian needs.

Without development, the agro-pastoralist communities will continue to be marginalised and underserved adding to intercommunal tension.

On 12 February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported, in its fifth Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM)

Emergency Event Tracking (EET), that the number of people displaced across Ag Geneina and surrounding villages increased to 149,000.

Overall, humanitarian agencies in Sudan need US$1.9 billion to save lives and provide humanitarian assistance to 8.9 million people across the country. Aid organisations need early and flexible funding for the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan to sustain humanitarian operations and provide a timely response.

An operational response plan is being finalised to assist 100,000 people in West Darfur for six months at the cost of $30 million. The key priorities are health, protection, WASH, ES/NFIs, and education in emergencies.

So far, about $7 million have been mobilised, about half of which is re-programmed funding. New funding includes $1.3 million from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), $550,000 from USAID through IOM’s Rapid Response Fund, and $270,000 from the Start Network.

Response

Education

About 880 children are now able to resume learning at El Gadima and Abuzar school gathering sites after sector partners installed 11 tents for schools in these areas. Also, 15 temporary learning spaces are being built for 1,200 children in the El Sinaya and Abuzar sites. About 1,200 children in grade eight in and outside Ag Geneina have received learning materials. Needs assessments were carried out in 32 schools affected by the conflict.
Food More than 67,000 IDPs in Ag Geneina Town received one-month food rations.

Health and Nutrition

Nutrition services are being provided in 15 IDP gathering sites in Ag Geneina targeting 31,000 children under five years. About 8,900 children in IDPs gathering points inside Ag Geneina have been screened using the mid-upper arm circumference methodology. In total 53 children were identified with severe acute malnutrition and 356 children with moderate acute malnutrition. All identified children are receiving treatment.

Protection

Protection sector partners have carried out needs assessments at 73 gathering points and 1,900 IDPs with special needs were registered across 33 gathering sites.
Eight Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) were established, catering for about 1,500 children.
Basic psycho-social services were provided for more than 600 women and girls in the gathering points.
About 1,550 vulnerable women and girls received dignity kits. They were also informed about gender-based violence (GBV) concepts, available GBV services, referral systems, personal hygiene.

Shelter and NFIs

Sector partners have distributed emergency shelter and NFI kits to 37,075 IDPs in 20 gathering points in Ag Geneina since 24 January.

WASH

About 50,000 IDPs (46 per cent of the target) in 71 gathering sites are being provided with 520,000 litres of safe water per day. This is equivalent to about 10.4 litres per person per day - according to SPHERE standards, the minimum is 15 litres per day per person.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.