Converging challenges, compounding risks - A region under high pressure

In the Sahel, extreme poverty, fastgrowing populations, climate change, recurrent food and nutrition crises, armed conflicts and insecurity are building up to a perfect storm threatening the lives of communities already living on the brink of crisis.
The region is one of the world’s climate change hotspots. Increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, more frequent droughts and floods and land degradation threaten the livelihoods of a population in which the majority relies on agriculture for survival.

Environmental shocks, insecurity, chronic hunger and malnutrition have a dangerously symbiotic relationship in the Sahel. A spike in armed conflict and violence worsens the Sahel’s chronic hardship and has led to new peaks in displacement across the region. Lack of opportunities and unemployment, deteriorating security, economic and social inequality expose youths to risks of radicalization and recruitment. Many seek brighter prospects elsewhere, fueling the global migration crisis.

Faced with serious threats, Governments risk channeling more resources to address security challenges at the expense of social development. Past gains and future development prospects are at stake. If these challenges remain unaddressed, the prospects for the region are dire, and the most vulnerable communities will suffer the most.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

DECREASE IN MENINGITIS CASES

After the meningitis threshold was exceeded in March in the towns of Kabo and Batangafo, fewer cases are now being reported in the north-western Ouham province. WHO and health actors are curbing the outbreak by monitoring the seasonal meningitis-prone region and by strengthening social mobilization. A national campaign against the disease is planned in October as part of the preventive measure in the meningitis belt in Africa.

CHAD

NEARLY 300 SHELTERS DESTROYED IN GAOUI RETURNEE SITE

Following the rain and wind that swept over and around N'Djamena on 11 May, the Gaoui IDP site, north-east from the capital, where 5,200 Chadian returnees from CAR live, was severely affected. Three people were injured and nearly 300 shelters – almost half of the site – were entirely destroyed. Until a durable solution is found, urgent assistance is required to renew the shelters before the rainy season sets in.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

RETURNS FROM GHANA OF OVER 700 DISPLACED PERSONS

According to the UNHCR, 738 displaced persons in Ghana have returned to Côte d’Ivoire. In Burkina Faso, while 2,004 returnees are still located in Kpuéré and Batié where tension with the local population remains high. 2,614 people remain internally displaced, hosted in seven different IDP sites. Clashes in the north-eastern town of Bouna, Côte d’Ivoire, between the Lobi and Fulani communities had triggered the displacements at the end of March. Partners in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Burkina Faso continue to assist the affected people.

DR CONGO

THREE ICRC AID WORKERS RELEASED

Three aid workers of the ICRC who were abducted on 3 May in the North Kivu Province were released on 13 May. The three staff members were part of a convoy heading to the town of Kyaghala where they were going to distribute food and essential household items to around 8,000 people affected by the conflict.

NIGERIA

UNSC DEMANDS BOKO HARAM ‘IMMEDIATELY’ END ALL VIOLENCE IN LAKE CHAD BASIN

At the eve of the Abuja Regional Security Summit held between 12 and 14 May, the United Nations Security Council on 11 May demanded that Boko Haram “immediately and unequivocally cease all violence and all abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law”. Through a Presidential Statement the Council also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted who remain in captivity, including 219 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok in April 2014.

REPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE

BAISSE DES CAS DE MENINGITE

Après que le seuil de la méningite a été dépassé en mars dans les villes de Kabo et Batangafo, moins de cas sont maintenant signalés dans la province nord-ouest de l’Ouham. L'OMS et les acteurs sanitaires luttent contre l'épidémie en surveillant la région qui est sujette de façon saisonnière à l’épidémie de méningite et en renforçant la mobilisation sociale. Une campagne nationale de lutte contre la maladie est prévue en octobre dans le cadre de mesures préventives dans les pays de la ceinture de la méningite en Afrique.

TCHAD

PRES DE 300 ABRIS DETRUITS SUR LE SITE DE RAPATRIES DE GAOUI

Après que la pluie et le vent ont balayé la ville de N'Djamena et ses alentours le 11 mai, le site de déplacés de Gaoui, au nord-est de la capitale et où vivent 5 200 retournés tchadiens de la RCA, a été sévèrement touché. Trois personnes ont été blessées et près de 300 abris - près de la moitié du site - ont été entièrement détruits. Jusqu'à ce qu'une solution durable soit trouvée, une aide d'urgence est nécessaire pour renouveler les abris avant que la saison des pluies ne s’installe.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

PLUS DE 700 PERSONNES DEPLACEES RENTRENT DU GHANA SUITE A DES VIOLENCES

Selon le HCR, 738 personnes déplacées au Ghana sont retournées en Côte d'Ivoire, tandis que 2 614 personnes déplacées actuellement à Bouna sont hébergées dans sept sites différents. Au Burkina Faso, 2 004 retournés sont toujours situés à Kpuéré et Batié où les tensions avec la population locale restent élevées. Après des affrontements dans la ville du nord-est de Bouna, Côte d'Ivoire, entre les communautés Lobi et Peuls fin mars, les partenaires en Côte d'Ivoire, au Ghana et au Burkina Faso ont apporté une assistance aux personnes touchées par la violence.

RD CONGO

TROIS TRAVAILLEURS HUMANITAIRES DU CICR LIBERES

Trois travailleurs humanitaires du CICR qui avaient été enlevés le 3 mai dans la province du Nord-Kivu ont été libérés le 13 mai. Les trois membres du personnel faisaient partie d'un convoi qui se rendait en direction de la ville de Kyaghala où ils allaient distribuer des vivres et des articles ménagers essentiels à environ 8 000 personnes touchées par le conflit.

NIGERIA

LE CSNU EXIGE QUE BOKO HARAM METTE FIN A TOUTE VIOLENCE DANS LE BASSIN DU LAC TCHAD

A la veille du Sommet sur la sécurité régionale tenu à Abuja du 12 au 14 mai, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies le 11 mai a exigé que Boko Haram "cesse immédiatement et sans équivoque toute violence et toutes les violations des droits de l'homme et du droit international humanitaire". Via une déclaration présidentielle le Conseil a également exigé la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle de toutes les personnes enlevées qui restent en captivité, y compris 219 écolières enlevées à Chibok en avril 2014.

Since 2014, Cameroon has felt the effects of the insurgency of the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA, formerly Boko Haram). The increase in violent attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and neighbouring countries has led to the displacement of populations away from areas of conflict and violence.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) set up and initiated the first round of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in November 2015 with the objective of providing regular, accurate and updated information on displaced populations within the Far North region of Cameroon to better inform the response of the Government of Cameroon and the humanitarian community. The Cameroon DTM can be compared with the Nigeria DTM for an understanding of displacement within the regional context.

The data gathered between the 11th and 20th of April includes information on number of displaced persons, period of displacement, reason for displacement, type of accommodation and demographic data on displaced populations. This report includes data collected through evaluations conducted in six (06) departments of the Far North region and in 38 arrondissement.

HIGHLIGHTS

Population identified by the DTM in April 2016 in the Far North region of Cameroon:

• 190,591 Internally Displaced Persons (34,221 households)

• 8,251 Unregistered Refugees (1,650 households)

• 39,833 Returnees (7,828 households)

Depuis 2014, le Cameroun est affecté par les effets du mouvement insurgé de l’Etat Islamique en Afrique de l’Ouest (EAIO, ex Boko Haram). L’augmentation des attaques et incursions aux Nigéria, au Cameroun et dans les pays frontaliers a créé des déplacements de populations depuis les zones de conflit et de violence.

L’Organisation Internationale pour les Migrations (OIM) a lancé son premier numéro de la Matrice de Suivi des Déplacements (DTM) en Novembre 2015 avec pour objectif de fournir des informations régulières, exactes et à jour sur les populations déplacées dans la région de l’Extrême-Nord du Cameroun afin d’informer la réponse du Gouvernement du Cameroun et de la communauté humanitaire. La DTM Cameroun peut être comparée avec la DTM Nigéria pour un aperçu des déplacements dans la région.

Les données collectées incluent le nombre de personnes déplacées, les périodes de déplacement, les raisons du déplacement, les types de logement et des données démographiques sur les populations déplacées. Ce rapport inclut des données collectées du 11 au 20 Avril 2016 par des évaluations menées dans six (6) départements de la région de l’Extrême-Nord et dans 38 arrondissements.

FAITS SAILLANTS

Population identifiée par la DTM en Avril 2016 dans l’Extrême-Nord du Cameroun :

• 190,591 Personnes Déplacées Internes (34,221 ménages)

• 8,251 Réfugiés Non Enregistrés (1,650 ménages)

• 39,833 Retournés (7,828 ménages)

Executive Summary

Today, 75 million children and adolescents aged 3-18 have had their education directly affected by emergencies and protracted crises.[1] Of those identified as refugees or internally displaced persons by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), only 50 percent are enrolled in primary school, 25 percent in lower secondary school, and very few have access to pre-primary or tertiary education.[2] The severity of this education gap has garnered a new groundswell of support for investing in education in conflict and crisis settings. The magnitude of the need also calls for an opportunity to re-think the way that educational programs are developed and funded.

Given that the average length of displacement for a refugee is 17 years,[3] it is impractical to consider emergency assistance and long-term development as separate endeavors. Rather, the longevity of these problems require us to creatively approach new partnerships and new models of funding. Likewise, protracted conflicts are changing the long-term options for those who are displaced. They must be given the opportunity to forge a future for themselves and their families.

This paper details the work of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), a Catholic, nongovernmental organization working with refugees and other forcibly displaced persons in over 40 countries. In the past 35 years, JRS has placed an emphasis on ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to an education, regardless of their circumstances. Working both in newer emergencies, like Syria, and in protracted displacement settings including Chad, Ethiopia and Kenya, JRS is poised to offer substantive, thoughtful insight on providing effective, quality education programs for the forcibly displaced.

JRS aims to employ the following critical strategies to increase access to a quality education for the forcibly displaced:

•Parental Involvement to Ensure Access and Retention

•A Holistic Approach that Meets All Student Needs

•Complementary Programs for Parents and Families

•Investment in Teacher Training and Tertiary Education

•Emphasis on Language Skills and Remedial Education

•Youth Programming Focused on Life Skills & Leadership Training

Access to schools and quality education is an urgent priority for all refugee children and youth. It is a basic human right and is fundamental to a better future for their communities. For these reasons, JRS advocates for the basic right to emergency and long-term educational opportunities and urges better access to formal, informal and skill-building and vocational training programs for refugee children, youth and adults. To improve the quality of, and access to, education in emergencies and protracted crises, JRS recommends the following:

•Prioritization of access to education in all stages of humanitarian response and through development initiatives.

•Adequate and sustainable funding for the education of all refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, both in emergency and protracted crisis settings.

•Better coordination of education programs between host countries and humanitarian agencies and alignment of programs with country plans and systems.

•Effective transition from humanitarian response programming to long-term education development, through coordinated planning between humanitarian and development actors.

•Improved quality of education for the displaced, with a focus on special needs and equal access across genders and the prioritization of language training, long-term livelihoods development, and the use of technology.

•Integration of refugees into host communities, as appropriate, including integration of children into local school systems, access to employment opportunities and equitable compensation for the displaced.

•Assurance that schools remain safe and secure places free from armed groups, forcible military conscription, sexual violence, and discrimination.

•Academic instituitions accept international certificates, diplomas and degrees and explore the possibility of mainstreaming the accreditation process across countries and school systems.

•A diverse group of partners mobilize support for education in emergencies and protracted crises and support new efforts – including Education Cannot Wait: A Fund for Education in Emergencies – to address this critical issue.

Past investments in educational progress are in jeopardy as we face a record number of long-standing conflicts and resulting global displacement.

Donors, governments and the humanitarian and development communities must take action and seize an historic opportunity to grow, and leverage, the political will to address the lack of access to education for the forcibly displaced.

Distribution of food assistance to more than 40,000 vulnerable people has kicked off in Aweil town.

The Director of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in Aweil, Deng Kuel Kuel, announced the start of food distribution to about 47,000 people in the area.

The vulnerable people were identified after a two- weeks registration exercise conducted by traditional leaders and Payam administrators.

Increased food prices, coupled with low income and humanitarian crisis, has rendered many people more vulnerable.

Radio Miraya reporter in Aweil said he witnessed a huge crowd comprising mostly women and children this morning, lining up in front of the WFP warehouses in Aweil waiting for their turn to receive food supplies.

Deng Kuel Kuel, advised the local authorities to ensure the safety of aid workers during the food distribution exercise.

” I want to appeal to the people particularly the local governments to cooperate with the partners during the time of distribution so that there should not be any fighting,” said Kuel.

In another development, the World Food Program has prepositioned five hundred metric tons of food for emergencies in Western Equatoria region.

The Director for Relief and Rehabilitation, Joseph Salvatore Nzaku, told Radio Miraya that the food items comprising of cereals, beans, oil and salt will cater for approximately five thousand refugees being hosted in Yambio County.

Listen to the News

New York, 18 May 2016

The Secretary-General condemns the deadly complex attack that took place today, and which killed five peacekeepers and injured three others from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

According to preliminary information, a MINUSMA convoy hit an improvised explosive device and then came under fire by an unknown group of armed assailants approximately 15 km north of Aguelhok, Kidal region. Five Chadian peacekeepers were killed and three others injured during the attack.

Since the beginning of the year, a dozen attacks against the United Nations has been registered in Kidal region, resulting in the death of at least 12 United Nations personnel, including today’s victims.

The Secretary-General presents his sincere condolences to the families of the five peacekeepers who have died in the cause of peace and to the Government and people of Chad, and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured. He calls for swift action to bring the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice and recalls that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers constitute war crimes under international law.

The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations will continue to support the stabilization of Mali and the implementation of the peace agreement and expresses his full support to the Malian authorities in their efforts to address violence and insecurity in the country.

Durant l’enquête du HCR menée dans les camps de Minawao au Cameroun, les personnes interrogées ont exprimé leur inquiétude sur les conditions dans leurs villes et villages de retour.

Par: Leo Dobbs, ed. Tim Gaynor | 13 mai 2016

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroun, 13 mai (HCR) - Plus des trois quarts (76 pour cent) des dizaines de milliers de réfugiés nigérians qui se trouvent au nord du Cameroun veulent rentrer chez eux car la situation sécuritaire s’améliore dans les régions du nord-est du Nigéria, annonce une enquête menée par le HCR, l’Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés.

Toutefois, selon cette enquête menée en début de mois dans le camp de Minawao au Cameroun, les personnes voulant rentrer demeurent préoccupées par les conditions dans leurs villes et villages d’origine. Alors que 45 pour cent d’entre elles souhaitent rentrer immédiatement, 38 pour cent veulent attendre et voir comment évolue la situation sécuritaire.

Le HCR partage ces préoccupations et souligne que tous les retours doivent être volontaires. Par ailleurs, les personnes ne devraient pas être renvoyées dans des zones d’insécurité et de destruction à grande échelle où leur vie serait plus difficile et menacée. Parallèlement, le HCR exhorte les gouvernements à maintenir leurs portes ouvertes pour le retour des personnes ayant fui le conflit. Le personnel du HCR a interviewé 7939 parmi les 56 783 réfugiés du camp de Minawao, soit 14 pour cent. On compte près de 65 000 réfugiés nigérians au Cameroun. Plus de la moitié étaient des femmes (54 pour cent), ce qui reflète la composition démographique du camp. Environ la moitié de la population réfugiée est âgée de 35 ans ou plus. Environ 44 pour cent ont expliqué avoir accès à l’information au sujet de leurs régions d’origine par téléphone, en discutant avec les nouveaux arrivants, la famille et les amis, via les médias et l’Internet.

Les personnes qui souhaitent rentrer ont cité des préoccupations au sujet des conditions de vie, la fourniture de services essentiels et des dommages aux habitations et aux infrastructures, y compris les écoles et les centres de santé. Lucas est arrivé à Minawao en août 2014, après avoir fui Gwoza dans l’Etat de Borno au Nigéria. Il a expliqué qu’il rêve de retrouver des proches au Nigéria.

Selon lui, la plupart des réfugiés partagent ce désir, mais il a ajouté : « Nos villages ont été totalement détruits et la situation de sécurité demeure incertaine. Nous avons perdu tous nos biens et, si nous devons revenir, nous aurons besoin de soutien de la part de notre gouvernement pour recommencer une nouvelle vie. »

Lui et d’autres a appelé à des programmes de reconstruction, les programmes d’aide, des projets de subsistance et le déploiement des forces armées pour assurer la sécurité. Parmi ceux qui ne veulent revenir, 59 pour cent ont dit qu’ils avaient pas de ressources financières, tandis que 8 pour cent ont dit qu’ils avaient rien à retourner.

Le Président du Nigéria, Muhammadou Buhari, et le Président du Cameroun, Paul Biya, se sont réunis la semaine dernière à Abouja pour discuter du retour des réfugiés nigérians selon un accord tripartite avec le HCR. Ils ont convenu que celui-ci devrait être convenu pour juillet et visera à établir un cadre pour le retour des réfugiés.

Les retours depuis le Cameroun ont été une question sensible dans le passé, car le HCR ne pouvait pas accéder à plus de 20 000 personnes renvoyées au Nigéria depuis 2015 depuis la région militarisée du lac Tchad, afin d’assurer qu’elles rentraient volontairement.

Selon le HCR, les retours doivent être volontaires et les deux gouvernements devraient tenir compte des préoccupations des réfugiés et des personnes déplacées internes. Le HCR demeure prêt à travailler en étroite collaboration avec les deux pays afin de garantir les droits des réfugiés pour un retour volontaire dans la sécurité et la dignité ainsi qu’accélérer les programmes de réinsertion. Durant l’année écoulée, les gouvernements du Nigéria et du Cameroun ont repoussé les insurgés de Boko Haram dans le nord-est du Nigéria et le nord du Cameroun, apportant une plus grande sécurité dans certaines régions. Toutefois l’insurrection demeure une menace majeure pour la paix dans la région.

Le conflit a déjà contraint plus de 200 000 personnes à fuir au Cameroun, au Tchad et au Niger suite à des attaques menées contre leurs villages dans les Etats de Borno, Adamawa et Yobe au Nigéria. Depuis 2014, le conflit s’est propagé au Cameroun, où quelque 170 000 Camerounais sont devenus des déplacés internes dans le nord de ce pays.

2016 FIRST STANDARD ALLOCATION KICK-STARTS LIFE-SAVING ASSISTANCE

In January 2016, the South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Advisory Board identified US$38 million top priority projects for funding through the first standard allocation to kick-start implementation of the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). Given that the fund had limited resources available, the Advisory Board agreed to immediately allocate US$20 million for 57 top priority projects, taking advantage of the dry season to reach people in dire need and preposition supplies for the rainy season. The Advisory Board further agreed to fund the remaining $18 million priority projects as soon as additional contributions were received.

Additional funding urgently required

In the first quarter of 2016, $11.1 million was received by the CHF from Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Luxembourg. This funding has been allocated to 31 additional projects from the first standard allocation. However, a further $7.7 million is urgently required to complete the first standard allocation. Without this funding, vital health, non-food items and emergency shelter, logistics, emergency telecommunications, camp coordination and camp management projects will be unable to be implemented in the first half of 2016

MISSION PARTICIPANTS

Mission Participants included representatives from TGH, IOM, HAC and WES.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

Due to tribal conflict between Salamat and Misseriya tribes that occurred in Um Dukhun locality in 2013 and 2014, massive population displacement occurred, mostly from Um Dukhun town and camp to surrounding villages, localities and South Darfur as IDPs, or to Chad as refugees. After the peace agreement between the two conflicting tribes was signed in June 2014, the overall security situation improved, allowing displaced household to start returning to their former villages, or to re-settle in secondary areas while waiting for the security situation to improve.

Beltebei village is located 10 km east of Um Dukhun. The population before the conflict was approximately of 3,000 households (15,000 individual), belonging to both Salamat and Misseriya tribes. The conflict heavily affected Beltebei area in on April 5 th 2013, leaving the entire village destroyed and therefore causing important population displacements of both Salamat and Misseriya tribesmen that were host communities of Beltebei into South Darfur and Chad.

MISSION OBJECTIVES

1. To collect information regarding new arrivals of population in Beltebei village.

2. To assess the humanitarian situation and identify urgent needs of humanitarian assistance.

3. Report the situation to state level humanitarian partners for response coordination.

METHODOLOGY

Different approaches were used to collect information. These included situation report provided by HAC commissioner, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with men and women from the community, informal interviews with a number of returnees and local leaders, random shelter visits and household interviews, assessment of water sources available and water sampling for water quality tests.
MISSION FINDINGS Security Situation According to interviews with community members and leaders, the security situation has significantly improved since the Peace Agreement in 2014 and no security incident connected to the inter-tribal conflict has threatened the achieved peace and stability in the village area.

Population Movements

An estimated caseload of 700 returnee households (3,600 individuals), all belonging to Miseriya tribe, arrived from Kabbum and Markundy villages in South Darfur, as well as from Haraza and Oyo villages in Chad. None of them were settled in camps in Chad. According to community leaders, the population caseload is expected to increase by another 500 households coming from South Darfur. This movement was not identified with pastoralism, as all Misseriya returnees are reported to be farmers originally from Beltebei, and returning due to the improvement of the security situation in the area and bad living conditions in displacement / refugee areas.

Needs of returnees and their situation

The joint mission team visited and interviewed a number of returnees in the village, and identified their main live-saving needs: Non Food Items and Shelter, Food, Water supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Facilities and access to Health Services as well as access to Education.

May 18, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Riek Machar, and second deputy, James Wani, have been urged to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the needy populations across the country.

In a letter directed to the three leaders in the presidency, a group calling itself a Coalition of Advocates, also congratulated the top leaders on the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), but added there was need for an attitude of “honesty” among the leaders in implementing the peace agreement.

“We congratulate and thank you for the steps you are taking to form the Transitional Government of National Unity and we urge you to operate with an attitude of honesty, sincerity of intention and inclusiveness towards each other for the success of your Administration and for the good of the country,” partly reads the letter, which copy Sudan Tribune has obtained.

The letter signed by Kwaje Lasu, Chairman of the Board of the Coalition of Advocates, however recognized the enormous challenges that the new government will be facing, but stressed the importance of making a priority ways to alleviate the suffering of the people through humanitarian interventions.

“We recognize that the tasks before you, that of recovering from war and building a new country, are enormous challenges; however nothing is more important, at this time, than addressing the humanitarian crisis that is threatening most of the country,” it added.

The document pointed to the current extent of suffering of people across the nation and with the rainy season fast approaching, it said there is need for immediate attention and quick response are necessary now.

The group blamed the parties to the conflict in South Sudan for the responsibility in hindering humanitarian access to the needy populations in the country.

“We understand from USAID [United States Agency for International Development] that the humanitarian crisis is not because of a lack of aid but rather it is a problem of getting aid that is available to the people in need,” it said.

USAID reports the following in its April 29, 2016 Fact Sheet, “Humanitarians continue to face attacks, harassment, and violence that hinder their ability to respond to populations in need of assistance throughout South Sudan.”

It also reported that since the start of the current conflict in December 2013, at least 52 humanitarian workers have been killed in South Sudan.

Aid organizations have also reported nearly “1,900 humanitarian access incidents, including arrests or detention of staff, attacks on international non-governmental organization (NGO) compounds, and case of violence against humanitarian personnel and assets since January 2014, according to the UN.”

The group said the unfavourable situation hurts and frustrates the humanitarian efforts of non-political organizations in providing humanitarian aid to the affected populations.

“We strongly advocate for fair treatment and respect for humanitarian aid staff and provision of safe corridors to enable them to provide relief supplies to the suffering populations on all sides,” said the advocates.

“Finally, as people of a common faith, we remind you, the leaders of our great country, of the responsibility we bear to carry out works of mercy. In Jesus’ words as he taught on the Mount of Olives, when we feed the hungry, care for the sick and provide for those in need, we are in fact caring for Him.”

They further urged the leaders to take immediate steps to remove any barriers that would impede the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to anyone in need in South Sudan.

(ST)

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 69,000 South Sudanese have arrived in Sudan since January 2016 as a result of ongoing conflict and deteriorating food security conditions in South Sudan.

• An inter-agency mission visited Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra in East Darfur and reported 8,875 South Sudanese refugees in those locations.

• WHS will take place on 23-24 May in Istanbul, Turkey.

• Humanitarian partners and sectors are finding it difficult to continue to meet the needs of new Jebel Marra IDPs with low levels of funding, especially in South Darfur.

Over 69,000 people have arrived from South Sudan in Sudan in 2016

More than 69,000 South Sudanese have arrived in various locations in Sudan since January 2016 as a result of ongoing conflict and deteriorating food security conditions in South Sudan. The majority of new arrivals from South Sudan are in East Darfur State, which is hosting about 45,500 people - or 66 per cent of all the new arrivals in 2016. An additional 5,324 people have arrived in Bileil camp for internally displaced persons (IDP)s) in South Darfur and have been registered by Sudan’s Commissioner of Refugees (COR). In West Kordofan, 7,241 arrivals have been reported by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC); and in White Nile and Khartoum states, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have registered 9,000 and 940 arrivals, respectively, since the beginning of 2016 (please see the table on page 2 for details).

According to UNHCR, 226,950 South Sudanese have sought safety and assistance in Sudan since December 2013. While the number of new South Sudanese arrivals in Sudan in 2016 is 75 per cent more than 39,622 arrivals registered by UNHCR during 1 January - 17 May 2015, the level of funding provided is significantly lower.

South Sudanese continue to arrive in East Darfur, inter-agency missions visit Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra

The influx of South Sudanese refugees into East Darfur continues, with about 1,800 arrivals reported over the past week. An inter-agency needs assessment mission visited on10-11 May Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra in East Darfur hosting South Sudanese refugees. The mission reported a total of 8,875 people in those locations. In addition, between 9-15 May, 661 new arrivals were registered in Khor Omer camp, which is hosting the majority of South Sudanese arrivals in East Darfur. The number of weekly arrivals in Khor Omer has reduced significantly compared to March and April when weekly arrival rates averaged over 3,000 and 1,700 individuals, respectively. However the underlying drivers of the displacements remain unchanged, with recent food security assessments in South Sudan indicating parts of the country will face a more severe lean season (May to September) in 2016 compared to previous years.

The refugees arriving in East Darfur, South Darfur and West Kordofan states are from Northern Bahr al Ghazal and Warrap states, driven by ongoing conflict and heightened food insecurity resulting from poor harvests, restricted trade, depreciating currency and steeply rising staple food prices.

The inter-agency mission, composed of staff from UN agencies, NGOs and government partners, to Abu Jabra, Abu Matarig and El Ferdous on 10-11 May was escorted by the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and was the first time humanitarian partners have been able to access and carry out needs assessments for the new arrivals who have settled in areas outside Khor Omer camp in Ed Daein, capital of East Darfur. The preliminary findings of the mission indicate that in all three location there is a need for food and non-food essential supplies, especially water containers. Sanitation is one of the main problems in Abu Jabra as there is not enough space for constructing latrines in the area where the South Sudanese are currently staying. While the South Sudanese have access to local health facilities they lack resources to pay for the services and some health facilities need support in terms of medical supplies.

Key messages

• The worsening humanitarian situation and the suffering of the people of South Sudan have reached unimaginable proportions. The country ranks second in the European Commission's Global Vulnerability and Crisis Assessment index (after the Central African Republic). South Sudan was the world's most fragile State in 2014 and 2015 (Fragile States index).

• The return of Vice President Riek Machar on 26 April 2016 is a step forward in the implementation of the peace agreement, signed in August 2015. The formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity is key to deliver peace and security and humanitarian access for the people of South Sudan. Fighting, violations of international humanitarian law, and grave human rights continued, despite the signature of the peace agreement.

• 2.3 million people are displaced, some on multiple occasions, due to the crisis. They have fled both within South Sudan and to neighbouring countries.

• As many as 5.3 million people (about half the population of the country) may face severe food insecurity in the weeks to come, nearly double the number in the first three months of the year. During the 2015 lean season (from May to August), about 4.6 million people were considered food insecure.

• Restrictions on access and exactions continue to impede humanitarian operations. 52 humanitarian workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.

• The EU is among the biggest donors of humanitarian aid to South Sudan. In 2016, it has so far provided more than 50% of all humanitarian financing to support life-saving programmes for the worst affected communities.

A total of 2.6 million people have been displaced in the northern parts of Nigeria mostly due to Boko Haram conflict and communal clashes. ninety two per cent of the population are internally displaced while eight per cent are refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger . The Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM, Round IX) published in early May 2016, assessed a total of 2.2 million IDPs in 13 States, while 0.2 million were identified by a Joint UN Assessment in the newly accessible areas (Bama, Dikwa, Damboa, Monguno and surrounding areas of Maiduguri) of Borno State.

With the relatively improved security, spontaneous returns of IDPs and refugees to their areas of origin have been reported. Infrastructure and livelihoods in these return areas have been largely destroyed.The Nigerian Government and humanitarian partners should strengthen the response in the areas of protection, shelter and NFI, food and nutrition, education, health, water and sanitation, and early recovery.

Hier vers 17h, cinq Casques bleus de la MINUSMA ont été tués et trois ont été grièvement blessés lors d'une embuscade au nord d'Aguelhok, dans la région de Kidal.

L'attaque s'est déroulée alors que les soldats de la paix escortaient un convoi logistique. Après avoir heurté un engin explosif, le convoi a été la cible de tirs.

Les soldats du contingent tchadien de la MINUSMA ont perdu la vie lors des échanges avec un nombre indéterminé d’assaillants. Suite à l’attaque, trois suspects ont été capturés et seront remis aux autorités compétentes.

M. Koen Davidse, Chef de la MINUSMA par interim, condamne dans les termes les plus forts cette attaque abjecte visant une fois de plus les Casques bleus au Mali.

M. Davidse présente ses condoléances les plus attristées aux familles des cinq Casques bleus et souhaite aux blessés un rétablissement rapide et complet.

Il renouvelle l’engagement de la MINUSMA aux côtés des Maliens pour la stabilisation du pays, ainsi que pour la mise en œuvre de l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation.

Il déplore les trop nombreuses pertes dans les rangs de la MINUSMA, et exprime son soutien sans faille aux autorités maliennes et aux forces partenaires dans leur combat contre l’obscurantisme, le terrorisme et l’extrémisme sous toutes ses formes.

By Mausi Segun

After more than two years, Amina Ali, one of the 276 schoolgirls Boko Haram fighters abducted from a Chibok school in a 2014 attack that sparked lasting international outrage, was found this week. She was reportedly identified by a member of a civilian vigilante group assisting Nigerian soldiers in the fight against Boko Haram.

Amina’s abduction with 275 other classmates from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state, became the symbol of Boko Haram’s capture of at least 2000 women and children over the course of the seven-year long insurgency in northeast Nigeria sparking international outrage as voiced though the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag, started by local activists. Since their abduction on April 14, 2014, only 57 of the girls had managed to escape at various stages of being captured; 219 remained hostages.

Until three days ago.

Just as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had boasted, Amina appeared to have been married (by force) and was found with her four-month-old child. The Nigerian army confirmed that a Boko Haram suspect found with her, Mohammed Hayatu, claimed to be her husband.

The return of one of the long missing girls is the best “proof of life,” and might provide the Nigerian authorities with some momentary relief from the unrelenting pressure they face over their failure to secure the girls’ return. That respite can only be temporary, however, not only because – despite the military’s claims of “rescuing” over 11,595 Boko Haram hostages – 218 of the Chibok girls remain missing, but also because of the challenges Amina and her baby will likely face.

While Amina may enjoy the same mental, medical, and educational support as her 57 classmates who escaped earlier, the length of her stay and the intensity of her experiences would require particular attention and treatment. The culture of silence, stigma, and shame around sexual abuse in the religiously conservative areas of northern Nigeria is likely to add to Amina’s trauma.

In 2014, Human Rights Watch documented the range of abuses Boko Haram abductees are subjected to in captivity, including forced conversion and forced marriage, as well as rape and other abuses. More recently, in an April 2016 report, Human Rights Watch cited an interview with a woman who saw 11 of the Chibok girls working at a hospital in Gwoza, Borno state. She said the girls had been forcibly married, with some either pregnant or with babies.

UNICEF and International Alert warned in a February 2016 report about the mistrust and persecution that women and girls who return from abduction with children face upon return to their communities.

The Nigerian authorities should intensify efforts to find the remaining missing girls, as President Muhammadu Buhari recently promised to do. But they should also take urgent steps to ensure that those who do return home find peaceful acceptance, support, and reintegration.

(Abuja, 19 May 2016) –More than 9 million people affected by the Boko Haram-related conflict across the Lake Chad Basin – 76 per cent of whom are in Nigeria – are grappling with dire conditions that will worsen if immediate humanitarian needs are not met, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, warned as he concluded a four-day visit to Niger and Nigeria.

“The situation in the Lake Chad Basin is unique,” said USG O’Brien, “Environmental degradation, poverty, under-development and violent extremism are converging to create a complex and multi-faceted crisis, and only with comprehensive coordination from humanitarian, development and security actors will we be able to deliver for people who are suffering so terribly.”

In Nigeria’s Borno State, Mr. O’Brien visited a camp in Konduga locality hosting some 1,600 displaced people. Around 20,000 internally displaced persons are living in communities close by. Insecurity in the area means that people are unable to access humanitarian assistance, leaving them in desperate need of food, clean water, basic services and protection. Venturing more than a few km outside the camp to fetch firewood carries the risk of attack or abduction by Boko Haram.

“Eleven months ago the people in this camp were torched out of their homes by Boko Haram. We have to listen to them. We must respond to what they actually need,” said Mr. O’Brien. “Our responsibility as humanitarians is to identify and meet with great urgency the immediate needs of saving lives and protecting civilians. At the same time, we need to make sure that girls and women are protected, and young boys are not taken to camps by factions of the fighting forces. We must make sure that there are opportunities for education, and for families to stay together.”

“It’s not enough to deliver aid today. We must end need tomorrow, as well. To stop Boko Haram and to protect women and children we must first recognize that deradicalization is an essential part of humanitarian work, and part of the platform to effective development.”

As he departed for the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Mr. O’Brien called on global leaders to share the responsibility to prevent and end conflict, and to support countries hosting people forced into displacement. “Aid agencies in Nigeria have appealed for US$248 million for 2016, and of this only $43 million has been received. Investing in humanitarian action now is the best way to spend to save for the future,” he said. “This is the best way to invest in the people of Nigeria, and to save lives and livelihoods today and tomorrow.”

For further details of press encounters and other interview opportunities during the mission, please contact: Herve Verhoosel, World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat, verhoosel@un.org +1 917 345 5238;
Kate Pond in Nigeria, pond@un.org +234 70 67 75 48 3