Sudan Humanitarian Update (26 October 2023)
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Six months of war have plunged Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, with civilian displacement continuing within Sudan and into neighbouring countries. Since fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in mid-April, an estimated 5.8 million people have fled their homes.
According to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Snapshot 8, about 4.63 people have been displaced within Sudan and have sought refuge in 4,728 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states, of whom about 63,400 people were newly displaced over the past week. While IDPs in Sudan were largely concentrated in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile in 2003 and 2011, after the conflict started on 15 April 2023, IDPs have been registered in all of Sudan’s 18 states. About 1.77 million new IDPs – 38 per cent of the total – are in Darfur, about 1.1 million are in areas south of Khartoum - Aj Jazirah, Blue Nile, Sennar, and White Nile states, close to 1 million are in Northern and River Nile states, about 501,000 are in the eastern states of Kassala, Gedaref and Red Sea. About 256,000 IDPs are in the larger Kordofan region, and 63,600 people are displaced within Khartoum State. IOM reports that those displaced are from eight states, with the majority - about 3.2 million people (69 per cent of all internally displaced) - originally from Khartoum. About 1.16 million people have crossed into neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan as of 22 October, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Conflict and clashes
In North Kordofan, RSF attacked Wad Ashana village in Um Rawaba locality on 17 October, leading to the death of two people, reports IOM DTM. The next day, 18 October, 147 families (about 735 people) fled Wad Ashana village to Kenana town (Aj Jabalain locality), Tendalti town (Tendalti locality), and Kosti town (Kosti locality) in White Nile State.
In Central Darfur, two people were reportedly killed, another three injured, and about 1,500 people were displaced to Hameedia IDP Camp in Zalingei locality following renewed clashes between SAF and RSF in Zalingei town on 19 October. The situation remains tense and unpredictable. The area is currently inaccessible to humanitarian actors, according to IOM DTM.
Protection concerns in Central Darfur
Protection partners in Central Darfur have reported protection concerns in the state. Since the conflict began, 130 IDPs were killed and 200 IDPs suffered gunshot injuries in Zalingei IDP camps. Ongoing human rights violations, including harassment, detentions, rapes, and protection fees have been reported in Zalingei and Rongatass IDP camps. In addition, clashes between the Bani Halba and Salamat tribes continue in the Bindisi, Mukjar, Garsila and Um Dukhun areas, resulting in the displacement of thousands of people within the state and into neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), according to reports from community members.
Children and education
Reports of increased violence, abuse and exploitation of women and children from conflict areas are highly worrying, with killing and maiming, child recruitment and sexual violence among the highest cases reported, reports UNICEF in its Humanitarian Situation Report No. 11. Girls constituted 38 per cent of reported cases, mostly from sexual violence. Schools remain closed across Sudan. More than 7 million children were already out of school before the conflict and now another 12 million children—of whom 5 million children remain in conflict states—are waiting for schools to reopen. However, there is no sign that schools will reopen while the war continues.
UNICEF reports that tens of thousands of children’s lives are at risk without urgent action. About 333,000 children will be born in Sudan by the end of 2023, needing skilled delivery care or their lives will be at risk. About 1.1 million children under two years of age require vaccinations to protect them against life-threatening diseases such as measles. About 500,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are likely to miss out on treatment, putting them 11 times at higher risk of death than their normal peers. Already 7.4 million children lack access to safe drinking water and are at risk of waterborne diseases, while 3.4 million children under five years are at high risk of diarrheal diseases and cholera.
More than 10,000 children may die by the end of 2023
UNICEF and WHO have warned that further attacks on and disruptions of health and nutrition services in Sudan could cost over 10,000 young lives by the end of 2023. While there are insufficient data for their verification, projections based on Johns Hopkins University’s Lives Saved Tool modelling indicate that at least 10,000 children under the age of five may die by the end of 2023 due to the increase in food insecurity, and disruptions to essential services since conflict broke out in Sudan. This is well over 20 times the official number of children of all ages killed by the fighting.
Malnutrition
About 201,500 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were admitted and received treatment in Sudan between 1 January and 31 September, according to UNICEF’s most recent situation report. Aj Jazirah, Blue Nile, East Darfur, Gedaref, Kassala, Northern, River Nile, Sennar and White Nile states – that host 56 per cent of all the people displaced since mid-April – continued to show a significant increase in SAM admissions ranging from 16 to 290 per cent in comparison to the same reporting period of last year (January to September 2022). UNICEF alerted that about 500,000 children with severe acute malnutrition are likely to miss out on treatment while being 11 times at higher risk of death than their well-nourished peers.
Disease outbreaks: dengue fever, cholera, measles, mpox, and suspected polio
According to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), the outbreaks of dengue fever, cholera and measles continue, with reports of mpox and polio also reported. As of 20 October 2023, FMoH has reported 3,414 cases of dengue fever, including 38 associated deaths.
Dengue fever has been reported across nine states, with the majority of cases reported in Gedaref (2,231 cases), followed by North Kordofan (490), North Darfur (286), Kassala (206), Aj Jazirah (145), South Kordofan (34), Red Sea (17 cases), West Kordofan (4), and Blue Nile (1).
At least 1,618 suspected cases of cholera including 67 associated deaths in 22 localities of four states, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH). This includes 763 suspected cases and 32 associated deaths in Gedaref, 346 suspected cases and 8 deaths in South Kordofan, 256 cases and 6 deaths in Aj Jazirah, and 244 cases and 21 deaths in Khartoum.
Meanwhile, the number of suspected measles cases has reached 4,166 (including 101 associated deaths). Measles has been reported in 11 states, including White Nile (3,095), Kassala (290), Blue Nile (270), Aj Jazirah (212), North Darfur (104), Red Sea (87), Gedaref (59), Nile River (37), Khartoum (8), Sennar (3), and West Kordofan (1).
On 23 October, a suspected mpox (monkeypox) case of a seven-year-old girl was reported in Majmari village in Kereneik locality, West Darfur State. A sample has been taken but not sent to Port Sudan for confirmation due to logistical challenges. The patient receives care at the MSF isolation centre at Ag Geneina Hospital. Investigations conducted by the State Ministry of Health (SMoH) in the area where the suspected case was identified have not revealed any additional cases with similar symptoms.
Partners on the ground report that on 24 October, a suspected case of polio was reported in Habila locality, West Darfur State. The case involves a 48-month-old boy, with symptoms starting on 13 October, who was admitted to Ag Geneina Hospital where he is receiving treatment. Samples have been taken but not yet sent to Port Sudan due to ongoing communication issues between authorities in Port Sudan and Ag Geneina, and logistical challenges.
HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
As of 24 October, at least 215 pending visa applications were reported, out of which around 70 were submitted in October. At least 31 applications have been pending since July or longer. While the delays have rendered some visa applications irrelevant as applicants are no longer available to deploy, it nevertheless portrays how some humanitarian staff have been unable to deploy to Sudan. Some partners have noted that there has been a slight improvement in the visa situation recently. As the majority of international NGOs (INGO) receive a one-month visa, renewal remains a critical issue. In addition, since May, both on the UN and INGO sides, there have been incidents of staff members with valid visas being refused entry by authorities upon arrival in Port Sudan, who have had to return to Nairobi or had their agencies intervened and managed to secure entry. The reasons behind this are unclear.
During the reporting period, the Humanitarian Information Sharing Mechanism (HISM) facilitated by OCHA Access/CMCoord oversaw the cross-border movement of 30 humanitarian trucks from Chad to Sudan. These trucks carried 828.564 metric tons (MT) of supplies. The consignments included 25 trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) carrying food supplies, 3 trucks from UNICEF carrying health and nutrition supplies, and 2 trucks from UNFPA carrying medical supplies and dignity kits. These trucks aimed to reach a targeted population of 393,705 people in West and Central Darfur.
The UN inter-agency cross-border mission from Chad to West and Central Darfur is underway. This week, the OCHA Sudan Access/CMCoord team, in collaboration with the OCHA Chad team, successfully concluded discussions with Chadian regional authorities in the southeast region of Sila. The outcome of these discussions was the formal establishment of two additional humanitarian border crossings under the HISM. These newly established routes will facilitate humanitarian access from Ade in Chad to Beida in Sudan and from Mogororo in Chad to Foro Baranga in Sudan.
With these additions, the number of humanitarian border crossings from Chad to Sudan now stands at five, serving various regions in North, West and Central Darfur states.
Between 12 - 19 October, 7,100 metric tons (MT) (146 trucks) of food assistance were delivered in White Nile (6,050 MT), Blue Nile (50 MT) and Kassala (1,000 MT) states from within Sudan. 163,875 MT (3,551 trucks) of relief items have been delivered since 22 May. Among these, 65,612 MT (1,553 trucks) were for distribution, 97,593 MT (1,968 trucks) were for prepositioning, and 670 MT (30 trucks) were intended for both distribution and prepositioning.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Insecurity, looting, bureaucratic impediments, poor network and phone connectivity problems, lack of cash, and few technical and humanitarian staff on the ground have been affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of the country. Fuel shortages also hamper the movement of humanitarian staff and supplies and the generation of power needed for operations such as the maintaining cold chain storage. Despite this, humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to the vulnerable people they can reach.
Between April and 15 September 2023, 131 humanitarian partners reached about 3.7 million people with life-saving assistance and about 5.2 million people with livelihood assistance. The number of people reached with life-saving assistance increased by about 100,000 compared to the previous period between April and 31 August. The number of people reached with food and livelihood assistance between April and 15 September increased by about 400,000; about 56,100 more people were provided with access to health services; an additional 26,000 refugees were assisted; at least 18,800 more people were reached with activities tackling gender-based violence; about 10,000 more people received emergency shelter assistance and non-food items, and an additional 9,000 children were reached with child protection services and activities.
Prior to the conflict, 2.7 million people were reached from January to March. This includes vital education, health, food, nutrition, water and protection assistance.
For more information on response by cluster see the latest Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard.
FUNDING OVERVIEW
The revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requires US$2.6 billion to provide life-saving multi-sectoral and protection assistance to 18.1 million people in desperate need through the end of this year. According to the Financial Tracking Service, the appeal is only 33.5 per cent funded, with $858.9 million received as of 26 October, according to the Financial Tracking Service.
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