Map 1: REACH assessment coverage of Greater Equatoria MVOLO MUNDRI WEST MUNDRI EAST IBBA MARIDI YAMBIO YEI

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1 Situation Overview: Greater Equatoria, South Sudan October 2017 Introduction Map 1: REACH assessment coverage of Greater Equatoria Following the outbreak of violence in Juba in July 2016, the conflict in South Sudan expanded to previously peaceful areas, including Greater Equatoria (Central, Eastern, and Western Equatoria States). Many areas in Greater Equatoria are now largely inaccessible to humanitarian actors due to insecurity. As a result, only limited information is available on the humanitarian situation outside of a few large towns and displacement sites. In order to fill these information gaps and facilitate humanitarian programming, REACH began collecting monthly data on hard-to-reach areas in Greater Equatoria in January 2017 through interviews with Key Informants (KIs). In October 2017, REACH interviewed 380 KIs that had knowledge about 180 different settlements: 97 settlements in all 6 counties of Central Equatoria, 39 settlements in all 8 counties of Eastern Equatoria and 44 settlements in 7 of 10 counties of Western Equatoria (Map 1). The quantitative data was triangulated with eight focus group discussions (FGDs) 1 and secondary sources. Due to a lack of sufficient coverage for Western and Eastern Equatoria States, the following analysis will not analyse the three states separately, but will rather summarize trends for Greater Equatoria. This Situation Overview provides a summary of displacement trends in addition to access to food TAMBURA NAGERO EZO NZARA Settlement Cover percentage of assessed settlements relative to the OCHA (COD) total dataset: 0% % % % 5-10% 1. Two FGDs were conducted in October in Bor, Jonglei State with new arrival from the Greater Equatoria region. Six FGDs were conducted in early November in Tambura County, Western Equatoria State. 2. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), South Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin: Issue 17, October > 50% WESTERN EQUATORIA YAMBIO IBBA and basic services for both Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and local communities across Greater Equatoria in October Population Movement and Displacement Fighting and food insecurity across Greater Equatoria continued to displace populations from their homes throughout the month of October, both inside and outside of South Sudan. Since July 2016, the conflict in South Sudan spread rapidly across Greater Equatoria, driving widespread depopulation. Among the MARIDI MVOLO MUNDRI WEST YEI CENTRAL EQUATORIA MUNDRI EAST LAINYA MOROBO TEREKEKA JUBA KAJO-KEJI MAGWI TORIT EASTERN EQUATORIA LOPA 93% of assessed settlements that reported presence of members of the host community, half reported that only half or less than half of the population remained in the settlements. The rest of the population has reportedly fled to neighbouring countries or other areas inside South Sudan. Displacement to Uganda An increase in conflict density, especially in Central Equatoria State led to a renewed wave of displacement towards Uganda. At the end of October, more than 17,300 IDPs, which previously resided in three IDP camps along the border in Kajo-Keji County reportedly left 3. World Food Programme (WFP), WFP Forced to Cut Food Rations For South Sudanese Fleeing Famine and Conflict in Uganda, May IKOTOS KAPOETA NORTH KAPOETA SOUTH BUDI KAPOETA EAST South Sudan in search of safety. 2 With a total South Sudanese refugee population of over 1 million, Uganda is by far hosting the largest proportion of South Sudanese refugees. However, conditions for refugee in Uganda are becoming increasingly dire as food rations have been reduced in June. 3 Some refugees are therefore reportedly returning from Uganda back to South Sudan, according to KIs. Displacement to Kenya Displacement to Kenya has slowed to 862 new registrations in October after a spike in June, when 4,356 new registrations were recorded by the United Nations High Council :

2 METHODOLOGY To provide an overview of the situation in largely inaccessible areas of Greater Equatoria, REACH uses primary data provided by KIs living in, recently arrived or who have received recent information about these areas, or Areas of Knowledge (AoK). Information for this report was collected primarily from newly arrived KIs from Greater Equatoria to Juba PoC sites 1 and 3, Yambio and Kapoeta towns and supplemented with remote phone calls to KIs living in the settlements of interest. The remote assessment involved in-depth interviews with participants selected through a snowball sampling technique, where each KI was asked to name two additional people who could be interviewed. A standardised survey tool was used that comprised questions on displacement trends, population needs and access to basic services. After data collection was completed, all data was examined at the settlement level, and settlements were assigned the modal response. When no consensus could be found for a settlement, it was not included in reporting. Descriptive statistics and geospatial analysis were then used to analyse the data. Please note that REACH is in the process of establishing sustained data collection across Greater Equatoria. As a result, the current coverage is limited. The conclusions drawn should therefore be considered as indicative only. for Refugees (UNHCR). 4 The decrease in movement to Kenya is reportedly related to slight improvements in the security situation in Eastern Equatoria State as well as the need to harvest food. The reduction of food rations in Kenyan camps after July has further caused many to think twice about heading to Kakuma. 5 The total registered South Sudanese population was at 110,077 in October, 6 with the largest proportion of the refugee population residing in Kakuma camp located close to the South Sudanese border (Map 2). Kenya is hosting the fourth largest South Sudanese refugee population after Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia. 7 Displacement to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Approximately 5,000 new refugees arrived in DRC in October, raising the total registered South Sudanese refugee population to 87,019 (Map 2). 8 This represents a waning but continued outflow of people that began due to clashes in Ezo and Yambio at the end of Due to a lack of movement trend tracking data between the two countries it is not clear how many of the refugees have returned from DRC. REACH in Yambio observed that movement between the countries appears to be quite fluid in both directions. Displacement to the Central African Republic (CAR) While Obo camp was hosting 2,037 South Sudanese refugees in October, displacement from Western Equatoria State to CAR has reportedly ceased in the first half of 2017 and reversed in the second half, with reportedly high number of returnees entering South Sudan (Map 2). 9, 10 FGDs conducted by REACH during a Rapid Assessment near the border of CAR at Source Yubu, Tambura Map 2: Displacement and returns from Greater Equatoria to neighbouring countries C.A.R. 2,037 cross-border movement increase/decrease in total displacement D.R.C. x T a m b u r a N a g e r o WESTERN EQUATORIA E z o N z a r a Y a m b i o areas of high crossborder return number of registered refugees I b b a 86,019 LAKES M v o l o M u n d r i W e s t M u n d r i E a s t M a r i d i Y e i T e r e k e k a J u b a CENTRAL EQUATORIA L a i n y a K a j o - K e j i M o r o b o M a g w i UGANDA County, revealed that the disruption of general food distributions due to insecurity along major supply routes inside CAR were the main reason for refugees to move back to South Sudan. 11 FGD participants furthermore cited active conflict in CAR as another reason to move back to their areas of predisplacement, which were mainly Source Yubu and to a lesser extent also Ezo, Tambura and Yambio. Many returnees from Source Yubu, however, reportedly found their land occupied by armed actors and were therefore forced to move towards Tambura, where they settled as returnees/idps. 12 Internal Displacement Internal displacement remains pronounced across Greater Equatoria. Over one-third (36%) of assessed settlements reported the presence of IDPs. This is consistent with estimates of over 400,000 IDPs across the L o p a T o r i t K a p o e t a N o r t h EASTERN EQUATORIA K B u d i I k o t o s 1,035,703 a p o e t a S o u t h K a p o e t a E a s t 110,077 KENYA 4. UNHCR, Statistical Summary, Refugees and Asylum seekers in Kenya, October WFP, WFP Cuts Food Rations For Refugees In Kenya Amidst Funding Shortfalls, October UNHCR, Statistical Summary: Refugees and Asylum seekers in Kenya, October OCHA, South Sudan Humanitarian Snapshot, October UNHCR, DRC Monthly Statistics, October UNHCR, CAR Refugee Response Plan, June UNHCR, Central African Republic: Refugees and IDPs, October REACH, Tambura Displacement Brief, November According to KI interviews. 13. OCHA, South Sudan Humanitarian Snapshot, October

3 Map 3: Percentage of assessed settlements in Greater Equatoria reporting IDP presence BBA MARIDI MVOLO REACH also observed a continuous IDP influx from Greater Equatoria to Jonglei (from Juba and Kapoeta South). According to FGD participants, IDPs fled violence and went to Bor town in search of safety. Other small-scale movements from Bahr el Ghazal were observed in Western Equatoria, caused by a lack of good supplies south of TORIT 14. According to KI interviews. 15. Also supported by: OCHA, South Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin: Issue 16, October The green belt area of South Sudan covers Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr el Ghazal. YEI LAINYA Insufficient data 0-25% KAJO KEJI 26-50% MOROBO 51-75% % Greater Equatoria. 13 Of the counties in which more than 5% of settlements were assessed, Kapoeta South reported the highest proportions of settlements reporting IDP presence (Map 3). Insecurity in the Torit area between March and June led to widespread displacement of people east towards Kenya. Those who had relatives in Kapoeta or lacked money to cross to Kakuma/Kalobeyei refugee camps (Kenya) reportedly stayed in Kapoeta. 14 MUNDRI EAST MUNDRI WEST TEREKEKA JUBA MAGWI LOPA KAPOETA NORTH IKOTOS KAPOETA SOUTH BUDI Wau since the road southwards was blocked. Return movement Some areas of Greater Equatoria have seen consistent return movements over the past months. Forty-four percent (44%) of assessed settlements reported that some populations have returned to their settlements after initial displacement. Returns are reported to be mainly motivated by a lack of services in the neighbouring countries (Kenya, Uganda or CAR), where food rations have been reduced. Areas with a high influx of returns are usually comparatively safer and with a higher possibility of cultivation, such as Tambura County and Sakure payam in Yambio County (Western Equatoria State), Kapoeta South County or the western part of Ikotos County (Eastern Equatoria State). Both KIs and FGD participants in Source Yubu town (Tambura County, Western Equatoria State) and Ikotos County (Eastern Equatoria State) reported that the influx of returnees led to a strain on resources such as food, water and land for cultivation. Situation in Assessed Settlements Food security and Livelihoods The proportion of assessed settlements reporting adequate access to food across Greater Equatoria remained consistently low since the beginning of the year with minor fluctuations following cultivation patterns (Figure 2). Despite the crop harvest season, which usually starts around August and lasts until the end of the year, only 11% of assessed settlements reported having adequate access to food in October (Figure 1). This represents a decrease compared to the 24% reported in September, which suggests that settlements depleted low harvests yields within the first weeks. Geographically, it appears that adequate access is uniformly low across all assessed counties, with less than 25% of assessed settlements reporting adequate access per county. This suggests that food access is impacted across a broad geographical scope in Greater Equatoria. The main reported reasons for inadequate access to food were conflict-related, in line with continuous reports of conflict and largescale displacement across Greater Equatoria. More than one-quarter (29%) of assessed Figure 1: Percentage of settlements reporting adequate access to food A 11% Yes 88% No 1% Not sure settlements reported that it was too unsafe to access the land for cultivation, while 23% reported that their crops had been destroyed during fighting. KIs reported that armed actors displaced people from their settlements in areas around Lainya, Magwi, Mundri East and West Counties at the height of the cultivation season. The same armed groups were then reported to have subsequently harvested and sold the crops and livestock in the towns; often to the same populations whose land and assets they had taken it from. 15 As a result, less than two-third (64%) of assessed settlements reported that community members were engaging in subsistence farming, while 23% additionally reported that crops were also produced for sale. Both proportions are very low considering that the green belt area of South Sudan had traditionally been a region of surplus crop production due to its conducive rainfall and fertile soil, which used to supply areas with a deficit of production. 16 Following crop harvest patterns (maize and sorghum) the proportion of assessed settlements reporting own cultivation as a primary food source increased between July and September, from 40% to 66% and remained at 61% in October. Those proportions together with the low proportion 3

4 Figure 2: Adequate access to food vs primary food sources, by proportion of assessed settlements, April-October % groundnut harvest 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% of assessed settlements reporting low access to food, however, suggests that the cultivated amounts were not sufficient to feed the population (Figure 2). It also suggests that alternatives, such as market access and food aid, have been severely restricted. Other reasons for inadequate access to food related to natural disasters, such as the destruction of crops by pests, reported by 12% of assessed settlements. KIs explained that pests included different kind of insects (e.g. fall armyworm) 17 but also other animals such as rodents (e.g. bush rats or squirrels), monkeys and cattle, which had been brought down for grazing from other parts of the country. Another 7% of assessed settlements cited lack of rain as the main reason for low harvest levels and subsequently inadequate sorhum harvest maize harvest Apr-2017 May-2017 Jun-2017 Jul-2017 Aug-2017 Sep-2017 Oct-2017 adequate access to food source:barter source: purchased source: cultivated source: foraged access to food. Recent Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports suggest that although rainfall has been above average in most parts of the region, some of the north-western parts of Eastern Equatoria State as well as south-western parts of Western Equatoria State have experienced below average rainfall. 18 Displacement has also contributed to the decline in access to traditional livelihoods. Displaced populations are often dependent upon host communities for food and other resources, straining remaining supplies of cultivation land and other resources. In October, only 18% of assessed settlements reported having sufficient access to agricultural inputs such as seeds and tools. Such low access to agricultural inputs further limited households capacity to cultivate. 17. Republic of South Sudan, National Multi-Hazard Early Warning Bulletin Issue Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), East Africa Seasonal Monitor, October and November For example western part of Western Equatoria State is supplied from Kampala through DRC entering South Sudan through Sakure in Yambio County. Original supply route was through Kajo-Keji Insecurity and conflict have furthermore disrupted the transport of goods along traditional supply routes from Uganda to most markets across Greater Equatoria. Although traders try to circumvent dangerous routes by choosing longer but safer routes, the supply reaching South Sudan is limited. 19 The low supply contributes to high prices of goods at the market, which, coupled with low purchasing power and hyperinflation, limits households ability to purchase food. Overall, only 14% of assessed settlements reported purchased food as the primary food source (Figure 1). Thirteen percent (13%) of assessed settlements reported foraging for food as the primary food source across Greater Equatoria (Figure 2). The highest proportions countrywide emanated from Central Equatoria States (22%), suggesting that all other food sources in those settlements are exhausted. Livestock disease outbreaks were reported in 30% of assessed settlements across Greater Equatoria. Such outbreaks disproportionally affected communities in the semi-arid north eastern part of Greater Equatoria, where households traditionally relied on cattle and livestock rearing as their main livelihood source. 20 KIs explained that livestock disease outbreak occurred in Terekeka, Kapoeta East and Kapoeta South Counties among other locations, and that most livestock are not vaccinated against common diseases, increasing the losses suffered by large outbreaks. As a result of low food access and inhibited and Yei, which is now blocked. 20. FEWS NET, South Sudan Livelihood Zones and Descriptions, August FEWS NET, South Sudan Food Security Outlook, October 2017 livelihoods, almost half (49%) of assessed settlements reported the regular consumption of one or less meals a day, which is substantially higher than the country-wide average of 36% of assessed settlements. Similarly, large proportions of assessed settlements reported a number of consumption-based coping strategies; 81% reported reducing the number of meals eaten each day, 80% limited meal sizes, and 40% reported spending entire days without eating. All of the above suggests severe food consumption gaps in large parts of Greater Equatoria, which corroborates reports of emergency Global Malnutrition (GAM) rates and high Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) rates across the region. 21 Protection Reflective of the unstable security situation across Greater Equatoria, 54% of assessed settlements in October reported conflict-related incidents during which a civilian got either killed or injured or property damaged (Figure 3), comparable to the 62% in September. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) conflict tracking database suggests that between August and October conflict density in South Sudan was by far highest in Central Equatoria State (followed by Unity), with a threefold increase in recorded incidents Figure 3: Proportion of settlements reporting incidents during which civilians were killed or property damaged A 54% Yes 46% No 4

5 from the previous month; 30 incidents were recorded in October compared to 11 in September. 22 In only 8% of assessed settlements, all residents/households reportedly felt safe at all times. Those that did were mainly located on the western reaches of Western Equatoria, which is largely removed from the present conflict. Protection concerns for women were similar to previous months; sexual violence was the most reported concern (27% of assessed settlements). FGDs with women revealed that the risk of sexual violence was also connected to the possibility of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which is a widespread disease in the country. 23 The primary protection concerns for men were killing and injury in 40% and looting in 24% of assessed settlements. In line with this, 22% of assessed settlements also reported the main cause of death has been conflict, second most cited reason after malaria at 38%. Land disputes were reported in 22% of assessed settlements. In areas like Terekeka and Magwi Counties, reasons for those disputes were reportedly often related to disagreements between communities over what both sides consider their ancestral land. 24 In other parts disputes often occur when people return to their homeland after initial displacement and find their land inhabited. Shelter Following patterns of violence across Greater Equatoria in October, shelter destruction continued to be reported by a majority of assessed settlements (56%). Figure 4: Primary shelter type of local community (left) and IDP community (right) A 70% Tukul 40% Tukul A 26% Rakooba 4% Other 22. Raleigh, Clionadh, Andrew Linke, Håvard Hegre and Joakim Karlsen, Introducing ACLED, Journal of Peace Research 47(5) , Approximately people are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in South Sudan at the end of 2016 according to UNAIDS website. 24. According to KI interviews. 31% Rakooba 29% Other 26 Shelter conditions for IDP communities are comparatively worse than those for local communities, especially following arrival to a new site. Reflective of this only 40% of assessed settlements with IDP presence cited tukul as their primary shelter type, compared to 70% for local communities (Figure 4). The proportion of assessed settlements reporting tukul as primary shelter type for IDPs is relatively high compared to other parts of the country, 25 which suggests that IDPs have either settled for a longer period allowing for construction of tukuls during the dry season, or newly arrived IDPs are hosted by local communities in their tukuls. In addition, host communities are reportedly regularly lacking essential non-food items (NFIs) such as cooking pots, sleeping mats, soap or mosquito nets to meet the needs of newly arrived IDP in the majority (over 60%) of assessed settlements. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene In October, only 68% of assessed settlements reported the presence of functioning boreholes (Figure 5), while 15% reported the presence of non-functioning boreholes, often due to a lack of maintenance or to destruction during conflict. In addition, less than half (48%) of assessed settlements reported the ability to walk to their primary water source, fetch water and walk back in one hour or less. The high proportion of assessed settlements taking a longer time to fetch water is often related to the distance to the closest source. FGD participants, however, also indicated that limited numbers of functioning boreholes coupled with IDP/ returnee influx in some areas increase the waiting time at the boreholes. In places of high influx of IDPs or returnees such as Tambura Figure 5: Access to functioning boreholes A 32% Yes 68% No 25. Only 17% in Unity State reported tukul as the primary shelter type for IDPs; see REACH, Situation Overview: Unity State, October 2017, forthcoming. 26. Other primary shelters reported for IDPs included tents (12% of assessed settlements), improvised shelter (8%), abandonned buildings (6%) and community buildings (4%). 27. See REACH, Tambura displacement brief, November County, FGD participants expressed concerns over sufficient access to water during the upcoming dry season when smaller streams, which are often used to wash clothes or bath, dry up and the borehole water supply often remains the only source of water. 27 Health Slightly more than half of assessed settlements (51%) reported access to healthcare in October, which is comparable to the preceding month (56%) but is below the 63% of assessed settlements countrywide, suggesting comparatively worse access, likely attributable to restricted humanitarian access. Of the counties in which more than 5% of settlements were assessed, the proportion of assessed settlements reporting access to healthcare was lowest in Terekeka and Yei Counties Map 4: Percentage of settlements in Greater Equatoria reporting access to healthcare BBA MARIDI Insufficient data 0-25% 26-50% 51-75% % MVOLO YEI MUNDRI EAST MUNDRI WEST LAINYA TEREKEKA JUBA KAJO KEJI MOROBO MAGWI LOPA TORIT IKOTOS KAPOETA NORTH KAPOETA SOUTH BUDI 5

6 (Map 4). Although there is a healthcare centre operational in Terekeka town, this is over 100km away from places in the north-west of the county (around Tali). Similarly, KIs from the north of Mvolo (west of Terekeka) reported that due to the absence of medicine in existing healthcare facilities in Mvolo town services are often accessed in Rumbek Centre or Yirol West Counties in Lakes State which requires patients to undertake dangerous journeys, often reportedly enduring harassment while crossing contested territories. KIs reported deaths along the way among women in need of urgent maternity care. Reflective of ongoing conflict across Greater Equatoria, the main reasons cited for lack of access to healthcare were conflict-related such as insecurity, which prevents movement of patients to and from the facility or destruction of facilities by conflict, both reported by 21% of assessed settlements. Other reasons included a lack of medical staff and a lack of drugs as reported by 16% and 15%, respectively. Congruent with the wet season, malaria continues to be the leading health concern in one-third of assessed settlements; a further Figure 6: Proportion of settlements reporting primary causes of morbidity Malaria 38% Conflict 22% Hunger/malnutrition 16% % of assessed settlements reported it as the primary cause of morbidity (Figure 6). 28 Moreover, 16% of settlements reported hunger and malnutrition to be the leading cause 28. Malaria being a familiar illness that people unfortunately come to expect, it may well have been the main cause of mortality yet not the main cause of concern -it is therefore likely that in those 6% of settlements some other less frequent and more unusual illness was making people worried. 29. According to KI interviews. of death, which is in line with low reported access to food. Reflective of low access to clean water sources, another one-fifth of assessed settlements reported waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea and bilharzia as main health concerns. Education Education was reportedly only accessible in less than half of assessed settlements (46%), which is comparable to the proportions reported for the preceding month (45%) and meets the countrywide average of 48%. Like other sectors, the low proportion of settlement reporting access most closely mirrors the spread in conflict, with most cited reasons being the destruction of facilities by fighting in 45% of assessed settlements, followed by teachers having fled the area as well as insecurity preventing the movement of students as reported in 18% and 10%, respectively. Where education services were available, absence of teachers due to delay of salary payment was reportedly common. Teachers tend to support their households in agricultural activities during the cultivation season. 29 Similarly, even in places where education was available, absence among school-aged children remained pronounced. Generally, absentee rates were higher for girls than for boys: 30% of assessed settlements reported that less than half of the girls attended school, while only 13% reported the same for boys (Figure 7). Unaffordable school fees were the most cited reason for boys and girls not attending school. FGDs confirmed that due to delay of salary payment of teachers, families are usually expected to pay a trimestral registration fee, examination fees as well as other necessary supplies, which in times of economic crisis is often unaffordable. Figure 7: Reported proportion of 6-17 year old girls and 6-17 year old boys attending school in assessed settlements 0% None 0% 13% Less than half 30% 30% Half 38% 49% More than half 27% 8% All 5% Conclusion Continued active conflict and humanitarian access constraints led to low access to basic goods and services across Greater Equatoria. 30 The proportion of assessed settlements reporting adequate access to food remained consistently low since data collection started in January 2017 and dropped to 11% in October. Livelihood sources continued to be restricted due to insecurity and displacement, which makes unlikely any improvements in observed food insecurity in the coming months. Considering that October is within the last months of crop harvest, this situation will likely further aggravate during the upcoming lean season, especially due to a decline in access to traditional livelihoods. As a result, areas like Kapoeta East and Kajo Keji Counties have been projected to experience state of emergency food insecurity (Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 4) between October 2017 and January OCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin, Issue 17, October FEWS NET, South Sudan, Food Security Outlook, October Displacement across Greater Equatoria, including to neighbouring countries, continued in October. The influx of IDPs and returnees to more stable areas is straining resources of local communities, including land for cultivation, seeds and tools, and to clean water, in areas already affected by crop production deficits and low access to food. The spread of conflict coupled with humanitarian access constraints further inhibited access to other basic services such as healthcare and education. The next closest services are often too far away from the settlements. Families therefore opt for not sending the children to school, while patients undertake dangerous journeys, sometimes passing contested territory. About REACH Initiative REACH facilitates the development of information tools and products that enhance the capacity of aid actors to make evidence-based decisions in emergency, recovery and development contexts. All REACH activities are conducted through inter-agency aid coordination mechanisms. For more information, you can write to our in-country office: southsudan@ reach-initiative.org or to our global office: geneva@reach-initiative.org. Visit and follow 6