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The Humanitarian Situation in Sudan
Background
In 2008, Sudan continues to cope with the effects of conflict, displacement, and insecurity countrywide. In Sudan’s
western region of Darfur, fighting among armed opposition factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), militias, and
ethnic groups is ongoing. According to the U.N., the clashes have displaced more than 90,000 people within Darfur and
to Eastern Chad since January of this year. Since 2003, the Darfur complex emergency has affected 4.2 million people,
including more than 2.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The former Government of Sudan (GOS) and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)
continue to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) through the joint Government of National Unity
(GNU). The GNU was formed in 2005, when the parties signed the CPA and officially ended more than two decades of
conflict between the north and the south. During the conflict, famine, fighting, and disease killed more than 2 million
people, forced an estimated 600,000 Sudanese to seek refuge in neighboring countries, and displaced 4 million others
within Sudan. The U.N. estimates that nearly 2 million people displaced during the conflict have returned to Southern
Sudan and the Three Areas of Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Abyei since 2005, taxing scarce resources and weak
infrastructure. In eastern Sudan, the GNU and the Eastern Front opposition coalition signed the Eastern Sudan Peace
Agreement (ESPA) in 2006, but the area remains underdeveloped and slow to recover from the decades of conflict.
The U.S. Government (USG) is the largest bilateral donor to Sudan and has contributed more than $3 billion for
humanitarian programs in Sudan and eastern Chad since FY 2004. The USG continues to support the implementation
of the CPA and joins the international community in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur. On October
11, 2007, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Alberto M. Fernandez renewed the disaster declaration for the complex emergency in
Sudan for FY 2008.
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Estimated Numbers Affected | Source |
|---|
| Internally Displaced People in Sudan |
From Southern Sudan: 2.7 million
In Darfur: 2.45 million
In Eastern Sudan: 168,000 |
UNHCR (1)- Nov. 2007
OCHA(2) – January 2008
U.N. Sept. 2007 |
| Sudanese Refugees | From Darfur: 250,000
From Southern Sudan: 255,000 |
UNHCR – Mar. 2008
UNHCR - Dec. 2007 |
| Refugees in Sudan |
From Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC, and others: 215,630 |
UNHCR – Dec. 2007 |
| Humanitarian Funding Provided to Date (FY 2007 AND FY 2008) | |
| USAID/OFDA(3) Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad | $206,308,451 |
| USAID/FFP(4) Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad | $853,713,800 |
| State/PRM(6) Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad | $136,659,132 |
| Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Sudan and Eastern Chad | $1,196,681,383 |
1 Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
2 U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
3 USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
4 USAID’s Office of Food for Peace
5 U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Current Situation in Darfur
In April, interethnic fighting and continued SAF
bombing in Darfur resulted in significant new
displacement. Banditry and hijacking of relief vehicles
throughout Darfur limited humanitarian operations and
resulted in decreased food rations for beneficiaries.
Targeting of humanitarian staff escalated in April,
resulting in the deaths of two individuals.
Security and Humanitarian Access
During the month of April, bureaucratic impediments
and insecurity continued to hamper relief efforts and
access throughout Darfur. Relief agencies reported
visa processing delays and new local government
requirements for travel to project sites.
To date in 2008, bandits have hijacked or ambushed
100 humanitarian vehicles in Darfur. In response to
increased carjacking incidents, some relief agencies
have begun traveling to project sites in rental vehicles.
However, the local government in North Darfur is
forbidding humanitarian workers traveling in rental
vehicles to pass through government checkpoints and
is requiring that relief agencies submit travel plans and
vehicle ownership information, which is causing
delays in access to project sites.
On April 17, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP)
announced that banditry and hijacking of WFPcontracted
vehicles in Darfur has forced the
organization to cut monthly rations for Darfuris in half
for May and June. According to WFP, bandits have
hijacked 64 contracted trucks since January 1. To
date, 41 trucks and 28 drivers remain missing. On
April 24, assailants killed a WFP-contracted driver
transporting food aid on a main transport route
between North and South Darfur. The incident was the
second killing of a WFP-contracted driver in
two months.
On May 1 and 2, assailants killed two USAID partner
Save the Children staff members in separate incidents
in West Darfur and eastern Chad. To date in 2008,
assailants have killed five and abducted more than 90
humanitarian staff in Darfur.
According to the U.N., during the week of April 1,
cross-border tensions between armed elements in
Beida locality, West Darfur, led to relocation of nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) working in the
area. On April 15 and 16, the U.N. conducted a
security assessment and reported ongoing tensions,
extending the “no go” status by an additional week.
Despite insecurity, NGOs continue to maintain
minimal operations in the Beida area through reduced
local staff presence.
On April 21, OCHA reported that clashes between the
SAF and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)
armed opposition group had resumed again in northern
West Darfur, after a brief lull in hostilities. Renewed
fighting between SAF and JEM began in
December 2007.
During the week of April 29, the U.N. reported that
SAF planes bombed several villages in North Darfur.
According to initial U.N. reports, the areas of Um
Sidir, El Hashim, and Heles suffered repeated aerial
attacks. On May 1, a U.N.–African Union Mission in
Darfur (UNAMID) team flew to Um Sidir to provide
medical care to victims of the attack, which killed two
men and injured eight others. UNAMID evacuated
eight victims to El Fasher for advanced medical care.
The attacks in El Hashim and Heles injured one
woman and destroyed property and livestock. On May
4, armed opposition group members and NGO staff
reported additional government bombings in two areas
of North Darfur, including attacks on a school and
marketplace in Shegeg Karo that killed 13 individuals
and wounded more than 30. On May 6, U.N.
Humanitarian Coordinator Ameera Haq condemned
the attacks against civilians and called for immediate
humanitarian and medical access to the affected areas.
Population Movements
Interethnic clashes began on April 10 near Sania
Afandu, South Darfur, causing mass displacement. As
of April 30, fighting in the Sania Afandu area had
ceased, although displacement from the area continues.
Preliminary results of an interagency assessment
indicate that between 25,000 and 30,000 newly
displaced individuals from Sania Afandu are taking
refuge at several IDP camps, as well as in remote and
inaccessible areas, in South Darfur. Relief agencies
continue to assess and verify the displacement and
coordinate a response. Humanitarian partners are
particularly concerned about new arrivals to South
Darfur IDP camps, such as Al Salam, where
overcrowding was already causing insufficient water
supply and sanitation facilities. U.N. and NGO staff
are working with the GNU Humanitarian Aid
Commission in Nyala to address the camp and the
needs of the newly displaced.
Health
According to the U.N. World Health Organization
(WHO), the February SAF attacks and subsequent
clashes in northern West Darfur led to significant
damages to health centers in the area, including looting
of medicines, equipment, and furniture. WHO and
partners are supporting the state health authorities in
restoring primary health care access for beneficiaries.
As of April 27, WHO reported an increase in the
number of cases of diarrheal diseases in North Darfur.
In response, WHO, Oxfam International, the
International Rescue Committee, and Plan Sudan
supported the North Darfur State Ministry of Health to
organize a health promotion campaign in As Salaam
IDP camp. According to field reports, a cluster of
meningitis cases occurred in the West Jebel Marra area
during the meningitis season from approximately
March through mid-May, but health workers have not
documented any major epidemics of meningitis or any
other diseases in South Darfur to date this year.
Food Security
Based on results of the interagency post-harvest study
conducted between December 2007 and February
2008, relief agencies are working to address a
significant food gap identified in Adila and Ed Daein
localities in South Darfur. During the week of April 8,
WFP, United Methodist Committee on Relief,
Netherlands Catholic Organization for Relief and
Development, and Sudan Social Development
Organization met to discuss coordination of
humanitarian assistance for the estimated 450,000
individuals in Adila and Ed Daein who will require
food aid during the upcoming June to August hunger
gap period. Relief agencies have initiated a blanket
feeding program for children under five years old in
regional camps to prevent increased rates of
malnutrition among vulnerable children. According to
field staff, if banditry continues to hamper the delivery
of food assistance, food insecurity and increased
malnutrition rates could become more widespread.
CURRENT SITUATION IN SUDAN,
EXCLUDING DARFUR
USAID continues to support humanitarian
interventions in Southern Sudan, eastern Sudan, and
the Three Areas in a variety of sectors. On April 2 and
3, Chargé d’Affaires Alberto M. Fernandez, USAID
Mission Director Pat Fleuret, and a USAID/OFDA
Northern Sudan Program Officer visited Abyei Area
and Muglad, Southern Kordofan State, to assess the
status of returns programs, visit project sites, and meet
with U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) officials.
On May 4 and 5, Charge d'Affaires Fernandez, USAID
Deputy Mission Director Brooke Isham, and other
USAID and US Embassy staff visited Kassala State in
eastern Sudan. The team received briefings on local
development challenges from representatives of the
State Ministry of Economic Development and
Planning, visited the riverbank reinforcement project
along the Gash River, consulted with the U.N. Mine
Action Office on the ongoing landmine problem in the
state, and toured a teaching hospital with government
officials. The team reported that the state continues to
suffer from chronic underdevelopment and slow
recovery from the conflict that ended with the signing
of the ESPA in 2006. USAID supports food
assistance, health services, flood recovery, and
peacebuilding programs in Kassala State.
Security and Humanitarian Access
In April, Southern Kordofan and the Abyei Area
experienced increased tension and insecurity caused by
census unrest, localized conflicts, disputes over water
resources, and troop build-ups in the Abyei Area. Of
particular concern for humanitarian agencies was the
frequently disrupted road access to Abyei and southern
states caused by armed groups setting up check points
along the road, clashes between armed groups, and
banditry. On several occasions in April, return
convoys were stranded and relief supplies were
delayed due to the road insecurity. The presence of
armed groups in Abyei limits humanitarian access to
populations 15 km outside of the town, making
distribution of food, relief commodities, and seeds and
tools difficult in rural areas.
On April 20, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) splinter
groups attacked Birisi village and other villages in
Western Equatoria State. According to the U.N., the
LRA soldiers raided cattle and abducted women and
children in the attacks. As of April 27, the security
situation in the area near Birisi village and Yambio
town remained tense and humanitarian access to
affected areas was limited.
According to field reports, insecurity and fighting
along the Kadugli–Abyei roads, particularly in
Kharasana during the last week of April, have delayed
relief items in transit from Kadugli to Abyei.
Insecurity on roads from Kadugli to Abyei and Heglig
has also caused return convoys to remain in way
stations near Kadugli until the roads were safe enough
for travel.
Returns
In April, large numbers of returnees traveled from
areas of displacement in northern Sudan to Southern
Sudan and the Three Areas. Relief agencies noted a
marked increase in state-sponsored return convoys,
particularly to the Abyei Area and Warab, Northern
Bahr el Ghazal, and Unity states. The southern state
governments organizing the convoys have not
coordinated routes, destinations, or arrival dates with
the U.N. or other international organizations. The
U.N. has offered technical assistance to the state
governments, including help with transportation and
coordination of reception centers, but only received a
limited number of requests for such assistance. U.N.
agencies and NGOs have also provided relief
commodities, food, and other assistance to the statesponsored
returnees.
Since December 2007, the International Organization
for Migration (IOM) organized return operation, which
transports returnees from Kosti to Malakal, Bor, and
Juba, has encountered numerous challenges. IOM
reported problems with armed groups boarding clearly
marked U.N. and IOM barges, sanitation problems on
the barge during the 15-day trip to Juba, and
challenges with the barge contractors that caused
delays. IOM’s last barge of the 2008 returns season
traveled in mid-April. Despite the health and safety
risks for the passengers, hundreds of spontaneous
returnees continue to board unsafe cargo barges at
Kosti each month and make the difficult journey to
Malakal and Juba. USAID partner Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to
assist the spontaneous returnees through management
of the Kosti way station and provision of plastic
sheeting, jerry cans, chlorine tablets, and mosquito nets
for the returnee’s journey along the river. Aid
agencies predict that organized return operations will
cease in the coming weeks due to the onset of the rainy
season, but expect spontaneous returnees to continue to
travel by bus and barge throughout the rainy season.
Health
According to WHO, as of April 14, health workers had
reported 194 cases of acute watery diarrhea and five
related deaths in Yei, Central Equatoria State, since
March 3. Sixty percent of the cases were among
children under five. WHO reported that five samples
tested positive for cholera. WHO provided medical
supplies and a diarrhea response kit for the treatment
of 100 severe cholera cases or 400 moderate cases.
The RCO, UNICEF, and OCHA are coordinating the
health and water, sanitation, and hygiene responses.
On April 18, the MOH, WHO, and UNICEF
conducted a joint assessment of Akobo, Jonglei State,
after confirming a case of wild polio virus in an
Ethiopian child who sought medical attention in the
village in March. WHO and the MOH plan to conduct
national immunization days from May 7 to 9 in
Southern Sudan and from May 9 to 11 in Ethiopia.
Food Security and Livelihoods
According to WFP, since December 2007, food
insecurity in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has
gradually deteriorated from moderate to severe.
Although a seasonal decline is typical for the June to
September hunger gap period, WFP has reported that
the hunger season and rains are approaching earlier
than last year and that Northern Bahr el Ghazal has
chronic, high global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates.
Additional factors contributing to increased rates of
food insecurity include weakened livelihoods and
harvests after the 2007 floods, armed activity resulting
in road closures between Southern Kordofan and
Northern Bahr el Ghazal states, re-routing of food aid
deliveries to Warab and Unity states, increased food
commodity prices due to heavy taxation, and increased
demands for scarce resources due to the recent influx
of returnees. In FY 2007, USAID supported nine
NGOs providing humanitarian assistance in Northern
Bahr el Ghazal and also provided food assistance
through WFP. In FY 2008, USAID continues to fund
similar programs in the area.
USAID reconstruction programs support the establishment of a foundation for a just and durable peace with the broad participation of the Sudanese people. Activities focus on supporting the peace process, democracy and governance, education, health, and economic growth.
USAID humanitarian programs work to meet immediate needs while simultaneously transitioning to longer-term reconstruction and development activities in areas outside of Darfur. Priorities include assisting individuals displaced by conflict, providing basic services in traditionally underserved areas, and improving food security through increased agricultural production.
USAID food assistance accounted for over 80 percent of the commitments to the UN World Food Program in 2005, and supports ongoing programs with the Red Cross and other nongovernmental organizations. As the leading donor of food assistance to Sudan, USAID targets food aid commodities to the most vulnerable, with particular emphasis on women and children.
USAID Sudan Strategy Statement (pdf,469kb)
USAID Monthly Update - November 2007 (pdf,505kb)
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