SITUATION UPDATE No. 80 November 2007

Transcription

1 Women s centre at Dorti IDP camp in el Geneina. UNHCR/H.Ando SITUATION UPDATE No. 80 November South Sudan and Blue Nile State Repatriation and Reintegration Operations 2. Refugee Protection and Assistance in the Eastern States 3. Protection and assistance to internally displaced persons in West Darfur 4. Funding Update (table) 5. Repatriation statistics for South Sudan and Blue Nile State

2 1. South Sudan and Blue Nile State Repatriation and Reintegration Operations A tripartite commission meeting was held in Khartoum with the Governments of Sudan and Ethiopia, and UNHCR during which goals and targets for 2008 were set. There are no returns planned for South Sudan for the remainder of 2007; some 1800 persons are however destined to return to Kurmuk in Blue Nile State. Countries of asylum There were 1,619 returns from Uganda through Nimule corridor. Registration for return to Eastern Equatoria increased substantially, and capacity on both sides of the border must relatively harmonized to ensure continuity of operation. A small number of returns passed through Yei and Kajo Keji way stations. Kenya: there were 595 returns. Road and air returns to Jonglei State from Kakuma refugee camp were due to begin in November. Due to initial accessibility concerns and subsequent security developments, returns to Jonglei were limited to air returns to Bor town itself in the month. Tensions between the Dinka and Murle ethnic groups deteriorated to the point that returns to Bor town were suspended. The situation is being monitored. Meanwhile, returns to Lakes State continued; 250 persons returned via air to Rumbek, with destinations in Rumbek Central, Cuiebet and Yirol counties.. Cuba: Two individuals returned by air from Cuba to Upper Nile and Warrab states. Egypt: 84 returnees came to Central Equatoria, Kassala, Khartoum, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Red Sea, South Kordofan, Upper Nile, Warrab and Western Bahr el Ghazal States. Nimule corridor The breaking apart of Aswa bridge created a major obstacle to traffic from Uganda to Juba and repatriation movements. Repatriation movements to Nimule had to be suspended when the bridge collapsed. A group of 200 returnees who arrived in Nimule on 16 November had to wait at the way station for dispersal for over one week. Another returnee group was to stopped and accommodated in Adjumani. A third convoy was put on hold in Hoima. After a chaotic week a contractor repaired the deck with second-hand steel trusses. A 6km stretch of the Magwi road south of Torit on remains closed due to concerns about mines. A GTZ/UNHCR repatriation convoy from Magwi to Torit was stopped by an UNMIS patrol at about 10 km from the main junction of the Torit-Juba road and alerted of antitank mines ahead on 6 November. UNDSS Juba declared the area a NO GO RED zone effective 8 November. In response to increasing demand from Uganda, assets were shifted from Yei and Kajo Keji to Nimule. Nimule way station is being expanded with a view to accommodating up to 400 persons in early December. In the perspective of increasing return movements to 3x400 per week in December, an expansion of the Magwi way station is planned. 50 tents have been delivered so the way station can accommodate 400 returnees. UNHCR negotiated an additional piece of land with the Boma Chief. Other upgrades are 2

3 required to increase water, sanitation, lighting etc. UNHCR and NGO MERLIN concluded an informal agreement, to be confirmed with a Letter of Understanding, to provide free health services for the returnee programme in Nimule. It includes deployment of a nurse for overnight duty at the way-station and for escorting the convoys up to Magwi. MERLIN is funded mainly by ECHO and considers these services as part of their Primary Health Care Outreach Programme. After a sensitisation campaign, IOM started registering IDPs in Nimule. The registration ended on 16 November. The start of the return movement to Jonglei and Upper Nile before the arrival of returnees to Nimule would send a positive signal and ease potential tensions and conflicts over land occupied by IDPs. Village assessment database Summary information from the database and analysis were shared with UN agencies and NGOs, as well as with field offices and country of asylum operations. All village assessments will be loaded on a CD-ROM and circulated to these stakeholders and partners on a monthly basis, in order to keep mass information updated. Central Equatoria State Renovation of Alero Primary School (roofing of one classroom block and painting of the two classroom blocks) is completed. The buildings will be handed over to the community which hosts the way station for returnees to Yei. UNHCR distributed education kits to 361 pupils (119 female) in 12 schools in Tore Payam. 78 teachers also benefited from the distribution. The distribution of education kits in Yei County continued on the last week of November. Ten schools with 691 students (219 female) and teachers received the kits. Eastern Equatoria State UNHCR donated 4 plastic sheets, 20 pcs of sanitary cloth, 40pcs of soap, 3 kitchen sets, a cooking stove and 2 Nike balls to the boarding school for Orphans in Karokomuge community. On the advice of the Director of Education Kapoeta North, part of the donation was allocated to the Karokomuge Mixed Primary school. At the request of the Commisioner Kapoeta South, UNHCR agreed to give 25 tents to the new Kapoeta Primary School (built by WFP and the community) to assist with accommodation for 85 children from the town and neighboring villages. They were reportedly exposed to abuse like child labor, have been brought to the school where they sleep in classrooms. 1,803 condoms were distributed at the way station and in communities of Kapoeta South and North counties. 591 IEC materials were distributed during the HIV/AIDS awareness sessions. On November a training on HIV/AIDS Prevention was held in Kapoeta town for 28 representatives from local authorities and traditional leaders (5 women and 23 men) attended the training. An awareness session on HIV/AIDS was organised at the Naskal Primary School in Riwoto county for 88 students (23 female and 65 male) and 9 teachers (all male). By November, AAR Japan had distributed 2,124 malaria nets as part of its programme of prevention of malaria. On completion 3,000 nets will have been distributed by mid-december Upper Nile State 3

4 WFP is preparing to restock the Pagak rubhall in preparation of the expected 13,844 returnees. In Maban WFP has undertaken to erect a rubhall for the expected 6,300 returnees from Shekole Camp in Ethiopia. UNHCR is to construct and equip eight primary schools and 2 secondary schools in Malakal, Maiwut, Mathiang, Maban, Nasir, Ulang and Baliet counties with funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2008, along with primary health care units in Maiwut, Mathiang, Maban counties. Blue Nile State A joint IDP verification exercise initiated in September was completed. Final results indicate that some 15,500 individuals (2,758 households) expressed the intention to return to their places of origin. Only 3,368 (22%) would return to locations outside of Blue Nile State; a considerable number originate the Mabaan region in Upper Nile State. UN Mine Agency (UNMAO) reported on the status of roads to return areas as follows: the roads to Bie Chaba, Sodha and Penawayu are mined; there are no plans in place to de-mine in the near future as other roads are prioritized. The Kurmuk-Wadaga road via Khora Bodi is also mined. However convoys could use the route from Kurmuk to Wadega via Zeriba which has no evidence of mines. The Wadega-Samari road has no evidence of mines either. 2. Refugee Protection and Assistance in the Eastern States Contingency planning The possibility of renewed military conflict due to the alleged build-up of Eritrean and Ethiopian military forces along their common border compelled the need for contingency planning for the possible influx of asylumseekers/refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia into Eastern Sudan. Contingency planning was initiated in a joint effort by the State Governments of Kassala and Gaderef, UN Agencies and Operational and Implementing Partners. A contingency planning workshop led to field missions to assess possible entry points, reception centers and refugee camp sites being carried out on the border of Sudan with both respective countries. The border of Gedaref State, where influxes from Ethiopia would be expected. Meetings were held with State and Local Authorities to explain the objectives of the missions and to solicit their cooperation; authorities in turn provided helpful information. Refugee verification Preliminary work on refugee verification was initiated with the arrival of specialised UNHCR staff to support the effort. 71 candidates were interviewed for positions of Interview Clerk, Admissions Clerk, Data Entry Clerk, Admin Clerk, Logistics Clerk, Protection Clerk and Community Services Clerk. Advocacy/capacity building Training workshops on refugee protection and non-refoulement were held in Kassala and Gedaref. Representatives of different government bodies (Governor's Office, National Security, Public Prosecutor's Office, Police, Military Intelligence, Judiciary, COR). The workshops were organized on an ad hoc basis to respond to the deteriorating protection situation in Kassala. Participants noted the importance of coordinating actions among state agencies in order to ensure nonrefoulement. Recommendations of previous workshops were reviewed. 4

5 Food and nutrition The ration card exchange for targeted food distribution which started in mid- July was completed on 15 November. The food will be distributed to families: without a male breadwinner; one parent households; families with a high number of dependants and families with young children. 41,672 individuals in the 12 refugee camps are being targeted for food distribution: (Wad Sherife-14,968; Kilo 26-4,909; Shagarab I-4,991; Shagarab II-3,119; Shagarab III-2,866; Girba-3,129; Abouda-1,125; Um Gargur-4,727; Fau 5-601; Kilo 7-427; Awad Al Seed-521; Fath al Rahman-289). Food distribution (cereals, oil, pulses and salt) took place in all refugee camps. Nutrition surveys conducted in September in refugee camps in Kassala, Gedaref and Sennar States revealed critical rates of malnutrition. Due to a continuing delays in release of corn soya blend from Port Sudan, WFP provided substitutes to families in the supplementary feeding program with general ration commodities (cereal, pulses, sugar, salt and oil) for an extra 5 persons/month. This distribution was conducted in Kilo 26, Um Gargur, Shagarabs and Wad Sherife. Fau 5 and SUKI camps will receive their distributions in Dec. A consignment of therapeutic milk for the treatment of severe malnutrition was received from international procurement to last up until September 2008 in all 12 refugee camps. Supplies have been distributed in Wad Sherife, Shagarabs, Kilo 26 and Um Gargur. The remaining camps are expected to receive their supplies in December. In order to initiate the establishment of Community Based Management of Malnutrition (CMAM), a 10 day situation review and orientation was conducted by a Nutrition Consultant from Valid International from November in Kilo 26, Shagarab 1,2,3 and Wad Sherife. At the conclusion of the mission, a oneday planning workshop with all stakeholders reviewed the issues related to (CMAM) integration in selected camps for the initial roll out. A report on this situation review/orientation is expected before the end of December. Non-food items UNHCR distributed non-food items (sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and blankets) to 1,558 new arrivals upon entering Kilo 26 refugee camp. Plastic sheets, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and blankets were distributed to 26 refugee families affected by fire and rain during the year in Um Gargur camp. 44 plastic sheets were distributed to 27 refugee families affected by rain in Awad El Seed, Fath El Rahman and Fau 5 refugee camps. Education UNHCR paid the school fees for 32 refugee students studying in secondary schools in Eastern and Central States. Agriculture & Livelihoods support UNHCR provided financial assistance to 1,215 refuge farmers for cultivation activities during the 2007 growing season. Although some insect damage was reported, the crop yield seems to be satisfactory. UNHCR is making arrangements to recover the grants disbursed to refugees prior to the season and to deposit them into the Revolving Funds Account. UNHCR purchased 5 sprayers and a swing fog machine to be used by refugee farmers in cultivation activities. The sprayers will be kept in Fau 5 (2) and Kilo 26 (3) to be used by the refugee cooperative societies while the fog 5

6 machine will be kept at UNHCR and loaned out to refugee farmers as needed. Purchasing of animals (goats and sheep) has been completed for the proposed livelihood project in Fau 5 refugee camp involving 40 refugee beneficiaries. Forestry The second weeding of the forest plantations reached 75% of the total area. Fire lanes were cleared to protect the plantations from fire. A Collaborative Forest Management: Project arranged for 34 beneficiaries (refugees and locals) to cultivate 83 ha of reserved forest land with crops and trees in Um Gerra and Um Gargur forests. The beneficiaries realized a yield of 202 (100 KG) sacks of sorghum and 112 (100 KG) sacks of sesame. 3. Protection and assistance to internally displaced persons in West Darfur Refugees from the Central African Republic An eleven member delegation (five women) of refugees from CAR living in Um Dukhun made a three-day comeand-see visit to Mukjar as guests of Chadian refugees. The purpose of the visit was to determine if it would be feasible for refugees to move from Um Dukhun to Mukjar. They visited two potential refugee camp sites and met with the local authorities including the HAC representative and the police commander. The trip went according to the plan and the refugee elders left satisfied. It has been agreed that after returning the elders will explain their visit to the entire CAR refugee community in Um Dukhun and seek their decision. CAR refugees will be asked if they wish to either from Um Dukhun, remain in Um Dukhun or voluntarily return to CAR. Food WFP announced plans to cut food rations in several locations in Habila locality from the month of December following an assessment of food needs conducted during the cultivation season. In those areas, local residents would no longer be entitled to receive food aid, whereas IDPs will see their rations reduced from 100% to 50%. Among the local residents, an exception will be made for vulnerable individuals, who will continue receiving 50% food rations.the same is the case with three smaller settlements in the Foro Boranga area. In light of the premature end of the rainy season, a post-harvest assessment will also be undertaken by WFP in January, as a result of which the rations may again be adjusted. UNHCR is frequently approached by nomadic Chadian refugees to be included in food distributions, and has asked that areas they populate be included in the post-harvest assessment. Food distribution for the month of November in the Um Shalaya refugee camp was held on 10 November, with 5,896 refugees receiving food without any incident. 179 bags of CSB (25 kg per bag) were given to supplementary feeding programme run by Concern. From December the food will be distributed to each family directly. UNHCR Mukjar supported the WFP school feeding programme for IDP children by providing the funding required for the building of five concrete bases for water tanks and shelters. 6

7 Funding Overview for Sudan as at 30 November 2007 Darfur SB South Sudan & countries of asylum SB Sudan AB Total Requirements 20,236,496 56,137,725 15,586,403** 91,960,624 Belgium 1,013,514 1,013,514 Canada 671,570 2,143,828 2,815,398 Common Humanitarian Fund - Sudan 1,850,000 8,190,063 52,000 10,092,063 Denmark 2,733,686 2,733,686 ECHO 2,864, ,895 3,522,012 Estonia 43,714 43,714 Germany 681,199 1,366,120 2,047,319 Holy See 17,273 51,818 17,273 86,364 Ireland 460, ,526 Italy 672, ,043 Japan 3,000,000 3,000,000 Luxembourg 2,051,984 2,051,984 Monaco 50,000 66, ,225 Norway 1,828,154 1,828,154 Spain 11, , ,532 Sweden 1,455,604 1,455,604 Switzerland 819, ,672 United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 85,600 85,600 United States of America 6,950,000 13,750,000 2,279,557 22,979,557 Total: Governments, EC and UN 14,108,911 31,959,992 10,683,064 56,751,967 Australia for UNHCR 2,221 2,221 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 4,000,000 4,000,000 España con ACNUR ,136 D. Stiftung fur UNO-Fluchtlingshilfe E.V 134, ,938 Dutch Postcode Lottery 1,333,333 1,333,333 Floridon Foundation 98,684 98,684 Japan Association for UNHCR 44,675 31,034 75,709 Jolie $ Pitt Foundation 333, ,000 Miscellaneous donors Canada 27,209 27,209 Miscellaneous donors Italy 264, ,544 Shinnyo-en 50,000 50,000 Total: Private Sector 333,356 5,661, ,788 6,320,774 TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS 14,442,267 37,621,622 11,008,852 63,072,741 Carry over from ,911,049 10,939,584 2,271,744 16,122,377 Other income and transfers*** (905,778) 286, ,000 28,621 GRAND TOTAL 16,447,538 48,847,605 13,928,596 79,223,739 * 7 per cent support cost is recovered from each contribution received for supplementary programmes to meet the indirect costs **Current budget data as at 01/11/07 *** AB data as at 01/10/07; SB data as at 26/11/07 **** USAID contribution of $2m will be re-recorded as $0.7m for 2007 and $1.3m for

8 Organized Voluntary Repatriation* Assisted Voluntary Self-Repatriation** Week 48 ( 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2007 ) Week 48 ( 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2007 ) From Families Individuals From Individuals CAR CAR DRC DRC Uganda Uganda 6 Kenya Kenya Ethiopia Ethiopia Eritrea Eritrea Egypt Egypt 40 Other Other Week Total Week Total 46 Grand Total Week 48 ( 25 Nov - 1 Dec 2007 ) 895 Cumulative voluntary repatriation: organized and assisted self-repatriation Cumulative grand total including spontaneous repatriation since 2005 Sudan Repatriation Operation 2007 Weekly Statistics Refugee Returns 72, ,753 Organized Voluntary Repatriation since 2005* Year Month From CAR From DRC From Uganda From Kenya From Ethiopia From Eritrea From Egypt Others Grand Total FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND Total Total ,251 3,262 1,785 5,550 1,561 5, ,807 1,131 4, ,657 20,996 Jan 715 1, ,371 Feb 503 1, ,174 Mar 548 1, , ,951 7, ,791 13,003 Apr , ,053 8, ,685 12,800 May , ,190 4, Jun , ,626 Jul Aug Sep Oct ,202 Nov 444 1, ,061 Dec Total ,109 5, ,221 14,238 1,671 4,313 4,150 16, ,626 41,249 Cumulative Total ,360 8,416 2,146 6,486 5,800 20,018 2,637 6,253 5,281 21, ,368 62,457 Assisted Voluntary Self-Repatriation since January 2006** Year Month From CAR From DRC From Uganda From Kenya From Ethiopia From Eritrea From Egypt **** Others Grand Total FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND Total , , ,823 4,815 Jan , ,629 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total 2007 Cumulative Total , , ,008 4, , , ,022 3, ,359 2, ,831 9,780 1/2 04/12/2007

9 Spontaneous Repatriation*** Year Cumulative Total From CAR From DRC From Uganda From Kenya From Ethiopia From Eritrea From Egypt Others Sudan Repatriation Operation 2007 Weekly Statistics Refugee Returns FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND FAM IND n/a 9,556 n/a 33,496 n/a 16,383 n/a 30 n/a 10,706 n/a 212 n/a 102 n/a n/a n/a 70,485 n/a 5,666 5,666 n/a 14,365 14,365 n/a 9,556 n/a 33,496 n/a 16,383 n/a 20,061 n/a 10,706 n/a 212 n/a 102 n/a 0 n/a 90,516 *Refers to those persons who received transport, return package and reintegration support from UNHCR. **Refers to those persons who were registered in countries of asylum and assisted through VRF with return package and reintegration support from UNHCR upon arrival in Sudan. ***Based on registration figures in countries of asylum. **** Data for Assisted Self-repatriated returns from Egypt includes returns to all area of Sudan. Grand Total 2/2 04/12/2007