By James Sokiri

South Sudanese refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo “commuting” to their home country in search of food not given to them across the border do not only constitute a sad humanitarian tale. Their desperate movements also increase the risk of the much-feared Ebola virus being transported to the world’s youngest nation.

“There is no cause of alarm, though, as no case of the disease has been reported in South Sudan. We are also as prepared as we can be to handle any eventuality if it breaks out,” says Dr. James Wani, Director General of the Yei River area’s Ministry of Health.

Some degree of anxiety, however, is to be expected with the often lethal virus wreaking havoc in the neighbouring country’s provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. While some distance away from the border, precaution is needed with the Ebola haemorrhagic fever having already claimed, according to Congolese government sources, at least 400 deaths and another estimated 300 or so infections.

To ensure effective health checking of cross-border travellers, Dr. Wani’s ministry is working tooth and nail with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to establish 15 screening sites across greater Yei, including at Kaya and Basi in Morobo, Jale in Kajo-Keji, Lasu in Otogo and Tore in Tore. As of last week, eight of the facilities were operational.

The local Ministry of Health and Environment has formed an Ebola Taskforce consisting of a wide array of stakeholders, including the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, religious leaders, representatives of the security apparatus and other government officials, immigration personnel, doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians, statisticians and logisticians. They have all been given the appropriate skills to handle and understand Ebola testing, coping and response mechanisms.

Another 120 Ebola response-trained health workers, half of them community leaders and the rest “social mobilizers”, go from door to door to create awareness of the disease, how to prevent it and methods of coping with the virus should it strike their towns and villages.

“An awareness campaign using radio jingles is in full force every day, and in Yei town key Ebola messages are spread across town every Tuesday and Friday,” Dr. James Wani said, adding that about 40 health workers have been given an in-depth training on how to perform dignified burials of anyone succumbing to the virus.

Some 100 health workers expected to be directly dealing with Ebola patients, should an outbreak actually take place, have been vaccinated with the support of the World Health Organization and the UN’s agency for migration issues. For the vast majority not inoculated, Dr. Wani offers words of comfort.

“Preventing Ebola is simple. You should wash your hands regularly with soap and clean water, desist from eating wild meat and never touch or kiss a deceased body whenever the cause of death has not been established.”

The two UN agencies have assisted local authorities in setting up a site, within the main Yei hospital, where infected patients can be kept isolated. An Ebola testing machine has also been provided, but the Dr. Wani says that an ambulance dedicated to victims of the virus would be a welcome addition to the arsenal of preparatory measures.

James Mugo Muriithi, Team Leader at the UNMISS base in Yei, is at hand to explain the role of the peacekeeping mission in the Ebola Taskforce.

“We facilitate access by providing the necessary protection force to enable medical personnel to penetrate areas otherwise inaccessible due to insecurity,” Mr. Muriithi says, adding that these efforts make it possible to establish Ebola screening centres where they are most needed.

UNMISS also uses its radio station Miraya and workshops to promote Ebola awareness among those most in need of it, hoping that these efforts will keep the virus at bay.

Knowledge is key to see through and dispel possible fear-inducing rumours and misinformation, but sudden large cross-border movements of people still constitute a possible risk, Mr. Muriithi points out. He mentions a recent trip to Lasu town, after alleged reports of some 7,000 returnees arriving in the area.

“Such kinds of uncontrolled mass movements due to the porous nature of the border could pose a significant threat of the disease spilling over into South Sudan,” he said

Ebola hemorrhagic fever symptoms are many and close between. They range from weakness, fever, aches, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain to skin rash, red eyes, chest pain, throat soreness, difficulty breathing or swallowing and bleeding. Signs of infection typically appear after eight to ten days after exposure to the virus, but may also appear after just two days, or only after a full three weeks.

In Summary
- Away from South Sudan, the refugees are determined to start a new life by learning new skills.

By JONATHAN KAMOGA

It was a Thursday afternoon like any other; 25-year-old Missmillian Kiden was at home in Kerepi in Eastern Equatorial, South Sudan together with two siblings and her grandmother when their village was attacked in early September 2016.

Her father and mother were in the fields two kilometres away by the time villagers decided to make a run for it across the Ugandan border.

It was the last time Kiden heard from her parents.

Now living with her siblings and ageing grandmother in Pagirinya refugee settlement in Adjumani, northern Uganda, Ms Kiden has to shoulder the responsibility for their welfare.

“Someone told me that our parents managed to escape too and that they are in Arua. I am happy about that and I know they know we are also still alive. It is just that we cannot meet because we have no means. Arua is just too far,” Ms Kiden said.

Her dream of becoming an accountant was shattered when at the outbreak of the war, she was forced to drop out of Senior Two.

With three young siblings and an elderly grandmother, she has to bear the burden of fending for them amid dwindling food rations from the World Food Programme.

Technical training

Five months ago she took up an offer of technical training being offered at the Uganda government-run Amelo Technical Institute and specialised in hair dressing. This she hopes will help her earn a living and provide better care for those she is now parenting.

The training, which involved 200 students this year, is funded by the Belgium development agency, Enabel, under its skills development programme.

Of these, 140 were refugees and 60 students were from the host community.

Enabel’s skills development fund manager, Freda Bella Anek, said that the training is part of a $2.9 million programme for northern Uganda.

Clad in a black graduation gown, Ms Kiden smiles all the way through the interview as she was one of the successful students awarded certificates.

She expects to get start-up capital from the trainers and with it, she plans to open a salon not anywhere but Uganda.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Anthony Langok came to Uganda with his family in 2016. Son of a business man, Mr Langok and his family are well-off and do not have to live in a refugee camp. They have a decent home in Kirinya, Bweyogerere.

Mr Langok says that for him, his two brothers and two cousins, Uganda “is home now”.

They have settled in well and since they have enrolled in school already, they are in no hurry to return home.

Mr Langok who is currently in Senior Five wants to become a lawyer in future, an education he intends to acquire from Uganda and maybe later practice back home.

“When I finish school, I will have to go back home and help my people one day, but I am in no rush,” Mr Langok added.

He said that since he and his family settled in Uganda, they have made friends, his father engaged other business partners and they feel safer. Until the uncertainty back home ends, there is no going back.

Some returnees

Joseph Amule, a Refugees Welfare Chairperson of Bidi Bidi Camp Zone Three said he has received reports of handfuls of refugees making their way back to South Sudan even when they know it is still risky.

“It is the conditions forcing them to do so. There is little food here and nothing to do. Some believe that if they go back to their land in South Sudan, their lives will at least be better than they are here in the camp,” Mr Amule said.

Moses Moro, 30, says he is tired of life at Imvepi refugee settlement and wants to go back to his Morobo County home in South Sudan.

Formerly a nursery schoolteacher, Mr Moro, a father of four, has taken up beekeeping.

“Life in the camp is difficult. We get food, yes, but it is too little and there is no money to buy clothes for our children. We can eat the food sparingly and when it is finished, we borrow from neighbours and pay back when another ration is served,” Mr Moro says.

His beekeeping and hive-making skills, he says will help him fend for his family, not in Uganda but back home.

“These skills will help me feed my family when we return home. I have enough land there. I can grow enough food and not beg from neighbours. I can sleep in my house without worrying about a leaking roof. I want to go back,” Mr Moro says, his face turning from sadness to determination.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Insecurity in Yei increased with active conflict between opposition forces and the Government of South Sudan in Greater Equatoria States caused displacement of conflict affected communities and blocking IOM’s access to key Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) screening sites. However, the peace process continued to advance between the Government and other opposition groups, with peace celebrations taking place throughout the country. Displaced communities, particularly in the Wau protection of civilian (PoC) adjacent area indicated greater intention to return home with the continued peace process. During the same reporting period, violent cattle raids in multiple locations throughout South Sudan, including Unity, has led to tragic death and displacement.

January Highlights

• Water distribution system completed in Yei Civil Hospital, as part of EVD preparedness activities

• New recovery project launched in Abyei Administrative Area

• Camp leadership elections held in Bentiu PoC site

CARE Report Ranks Top 10 Under-Reported Humanitarian Crises of 2018

GENEVA (February 21, 2019) - Today the international aid organization CARE launched a new report highlighting the ten most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2018. CARE’s report aims to shine a rare spotlight on those humanitarian crises that have been neglected by the global public. Now in its third year of publishing, the report, called “Suffering In Silence”, found that the food crisis in Haiti received the least media attention globally. While the catastrophic Haiti earthquake in 2010 made global headlines, the food crisis in the Caribbean state in 2018 was largely overlooked and barely received international media coverage.

“We see more and more complex and chronic crises competing for public attention,” says Caroline Kende-Robb, CARE International’s Secretary General. “Media coverage has always been a strong driver of funding for crises as well as creating political pressure to protect those in need. With dwindling international coverage, under-reported crises are at risk of falling completely off the radar.”

With multiple emergencies within its borders, the East African nation of Ethiopia made the top ten of neglected crises twice: the country continues to face a complex food crisis, with ongoing food insecurity sometimes tipping over into acute hunger as well as a regional displacement with more than 1 million people forced to flee their homes in the regions of Gedeo and West Guji. In Madagascar, the number of people at risk of hunger increased to 1.3 million in southern regions due to unfavorable weather conditions. Other countries in crisis that ranked among the top ten list of CARE’s report include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Philippines, Chad, Niger, Central African Republic and Sudan.

Boosting coverage for forgotten crises cannot be the job of media alone but should be a joint effort, says CARE. “Media outlets, politicians, states and aid agencies need to join forces to find innovative ways to draw public attention to humanitarian needs,” adds Kende-Robb. “Given the challenges the media industry faces with shrinking funds, with coming under attacks that are undermining, and with limited access to some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, we are all responsible for raising the voices of those affected.”

CARE calls on international media, policy makers and civil society to increase their efforts to speak about neglected humanitarian crises around the world. Increased funding and resources invested in reporting will not only result in better coverage of neglected crises but can, most importantly, help to bring urgent relief to those in need.

You can access the full report here.

“Suffering In Silence” ranks the top ten crises which received the fewest media attention, meaning the least amount of online media coverage. This is the third time that CARE publishes the report “Suffering In Silence”. In 2018, the most under-reported crisis is Haiti, followed by Ethiopia and Madagascar. A year ago, in 2017, North Korea had been top of the ranking. This yearly analysis serves as a reminder and appeal to make room both in media and political debates for forgotten crises.

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. That’s why women and girls are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education and health, create economic opportunity, respond to emergencies and confront hunger. Last year CARE worked in 93 countries and reached more than 63 million people around the world. Learn more at care.org.

Media Contacts:

Mahmoud Shabeeb, +962-79-146-39-03 mshabeeb@care.org (based in Amman, Jordan)

Nicole Harris, 404-735-0871 nharris@care.org

HIGHLIGHTS

• About 2,200 people arrive in Otash IDP camp from East Jebel Marra locality and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

• Sudan hosts the largest number of refugees from South Sudan in the region, while 2018 sees the lowest rate of South Sudanese refugee arrivals into the country since 2013.

• Over 1,000 Ethiopian nationals arrive in Sudan following renewed inter-communal violence in western Ethiopia.

• More than 1 million people will be in emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity between January and March 2019 – IPC.

About 2,200 new IDPs arrive in Otash IDP camp from East Jebel Marra, South Darfur

An estimated 2,200 people (about 440 families) arrived in Otash internally displaced persons (IDP) camp near Nyala town, South Darfur, between 13 December 2018 and 7 January 2019 from East Jebel Marra locality, according to the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The displaced people had initially fled their homes in Gubu, Saboon Elfagor and Kawara villages to caves near Erri, Krobandra, Reimo and Kidila villages following fighting between the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdel Wahid (SLA-AW) and government forces between May and June 2018. They have had no access to shelter, water, food, health or security services. Their arrival to Otash IDP camp is their second displacement. The newly displaced people have informed humanitarian partners about these details after their arrival in the camp as they were not previously accessible when they were initially displaced in mountainous villages.

The new arrivals said that they had consumed most of their food stocks and assets. With the current economic situation and increase in prices they are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Safety and protection are another of their main concerns. They travelled at night due to security concerns on the road from East Jebel Marra locality to Otash IDP camp. At the camp they would be able to access women protection networks and services through the women’s centre in the camp.

There was a joint Government-UN-INGO mission to Otash IDP camp to assess the needs of the new IDPs on 15 January. As part of the recommendations of the joint mission, on 24 January, IOM started the registration and verification of the new IDPs in the camp, which was finalized on 31 January. On 7 February, a total of 1,229 IDPs received food and non-food essential supplies, in addition to health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and nutrition services, which they were able to access upon arrival in the camp.

Recommendations from the team listed the following actions: IOM to follow up with the IDP tracking unit to report additional new arrivals; sectors to carry out in-depth assessments to determine sector-specific needs; health and nutrition partners to carry out nutrition screening for children under five as well as pregnant and lactating women and to refer any cases that need treatment; carrying out health, reproductive health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene awareness-raising sessions; the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to prepare a reception centre to accommodate new arrivals until they find shelter within the camp; UNHCR to accelerate the delivery of non-food items (NFIs) to the new arrivals; and to provide food assistance.

GENEVA (21 February 2019) - The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its fortieth regular session from 25 February to 22 March 2019 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The session will open at 9 a.m. on Monday, 25 February under the presidency of Ambassador Coly Seck of Senegal, with key statements delivered by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres; United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet; the President of the United Nations General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés; and the Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis.

A three-day high-level segment will follow the session opening, during which senior officials from more than 90 States and international and regional organizations will highlight human rights issues of national and international interest and concern.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will present her annual report to the Council on 6 March, to be followed by an interactive discussion with States and non-governmental organizations the following day. Thematic and country reports of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the High Commissioner, and the Secretary-General will also be presented, including reports or oral briefings on Colombia, Cyprus, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, and on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

On 25 February, the Council will hold a high-level discussion on human rights mainstreaming that will examine human rights in the light of multilateralism, on 26 February it will examine the question of human rights violations related to the use of the death penalty in the context of its biennial high-level discussion on the issue, while on 15 March, it will commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with a debate on the mitigation and countering of rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies.

The Council will review over 120 reports on a wide range of issues presented by more than 35 human rights experts, groups and mechanisms, including the report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment which draws attention to the negative impact of air pollution and recommends actions to be considered as part of national air quality plans; the presentation by the Independent Expert on foreign debt on the guiding principles on human rights impact assessments of economic reforms; and the report on the situation of women human rights defenders in which the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders reviews obstacles they face and provides good practice examples to support the building of diverse, inclusive and strong movements of women human rights defenders.

The report by the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights marks the tenth anniversary of the mandate and contains strategies for advancing cultural rights during the next decade, while the Independent Expert on human rights of persons with albinism explores barriers to access to justice for this group. The Council will also hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteurs on the right to food; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; the right to privacy in the digital age; the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism; adequate housing; freedom of religion; and the rights of persons with disabilities, who will present a thematic study on disability-specific forms of deprivation of liberty.

The Council will discuss, inter alia, the human rights situation in Syria with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which will present an updated written report. On Myanmar, it will hear the High Commissioner’s update on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, and an update by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar. The Council will hear the High Commissioner present an oral update on the situation in Eritrea, which will be further discussed during an enhanced interactive dialogue. The Council will also dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, and the mandate holders on the human rights situation in Iran and in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

On the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, the Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur and will discuss the final report of the Commission of Inquiry in relation to the military assaults on the large-scale civilian protests that began on 30 March 2018.

On the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council will hear the High Commissioner’s oral update on the developments of the human rights situation in the Kasai region and her report on the situation of human rights before, during and after the elections of 23 December 2018, and will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue on technical assistance to this country. Further, interactive discussions with the Independent Expert on Mali and on the High Commissioner’s oral presentation on the situation in Ukraine will also be held, as will a high-level dialogue to assess the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic. The Council will consider the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports on Libya and Afghanistan, the report on the work of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, and will hear the annual oral presentation by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on successes, best practices and challenges in technical assistance and capacity-building efforts.

Other highlights of the session will be the annual interactive debate on the rights of persons with disabilities on 6 March, which will focus on article 26 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on habilitation and rehabilitation. On 4 March, the Council will hold its annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child, which will address the question of empowering children with disabilities, including through inclusive education. Also, the Council will engage with the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children who will present a thematic study on the sale and sexual exploitation of children in the context of sports; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children; and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict who in her report explores the issue of the abduction of children by parties to a conflict and children of or recruited as foreign fighters.

The Council will also hear the presentation of a thematic study on statelessness as a minority issue by the Special Rapporteur, and the reports by the Forum on Minority Issues, the 2018 Social Forum, the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, and the Special Procedures annual report. Further, it will consider the report of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the High Commissioner’s report on the implementation of the action plan to combat intolerance, stigmatization, discrimination and violence against persons based on religion or belief.

The Council will consider and adopt the final outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States (Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Mexico, Mauritius, Jordan, Malaysia, Central African Republic, Monaco, Belize, Chad, China and Malta), and appoint four Special Procedure mandate holders as members of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Council will hold nine general debates during the session: the general debate on the High Commissioner’s oral update will start on 7 March, and the general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights on 8 March. On 13 March, the Council will hold two general debates, on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, and on human rights bodies and mechanisms. The general debate on the Universal Periodic Review will take place on 15 March, and on 18 March the Council will hold general debates on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, and on follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The general debate on racism and racial discrimination will be held on 19 March, and on technical assistance and capacity-building on 20 and 21 March.

The Council will take action on decisions and resolutions on 21 and 22 March before concluding the session.

Further information on the fortieth session can be found here, including the annotated agenda, the detailed programme of work, and the reports to be presented.

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, made up of 47 States which are responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them.

The composition of the Human Rights Council at its fortieth session is as follows: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Fiji, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay.

The President of the Human Rights Council in 2019 is Coly Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The Council’s four Vice Presidents are Vesna Batistić Kos of Croatia, Harald Aspelund of Iceland, Carlos Mario Foradori of Argentina, and Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji.

For further information and media requests, please contact Rolando Gómez (+ 41 22 917 9711 / rgomez@ohchr.org), Cédric Sapey (+ 41 22 917 9845 / csapey@ohchr.org) or Sarah Lubbersen (+ 41 22 917 9813 / slubbersen@ohchr.org).

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For use of the information media; not an official record

• Thousands of South Sudanese have crossed the border into Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last month. They are mainly women and children fleeing fighting in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria state.

• Local administration has pre-registered 14 562 South Sudanese refugees in Aru territory. The influx continues. Authorities want to move the refugees away from the border to reduce the possibility of an attack from across the border.

• UNHCR undertook a joint assessment mission with authorities to identify the asylum seekers’ main needs. Refugees are staying with local communities, but face very poor housing conditions and are in urgent need of food and cooking utensils. Poor sanitation increases the risk of epidemics. Parts of Ituri are affected by an Ebola outbreak.

• The DRC hosted nearly 100 000 South Sudanese refugees at the end of 2018. In total, the country hosts over half a million refugees, mainly from Burundi, the Central African Republic, Rwanda and South Sudan.

In December 2013, fighting broke out in South Sudan, crippling the young nation just two years after independence.

“I had to flee my home at the beginning of the crisis in 2013, because of the violence. I have been displaced ever since,” says a woman at a displacement settlement in Central Equatoria State that borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Our life is hard. We lack many things, but we have nowhere to get them. We cannot explain our problems to anyone and we have nowhere to go,” she adds.

The conflict has forced almost 4.2 million South Sudanese from their homes, nearly half of them to other areas within the country. About 2.2 million others have crossed into neighbouring Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.

Read more on Exposure

Issues impeding voluntary returns in opposition-held areas of Wau have been raised at a one-day round-table discussion that brought together the leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement in Opposition (SPLA/M-IO) in the area.

Organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Civil Affairs Division, the forum in Ngo-dakala, an area under the opposition in Wau, brought together more than sixty participants that included military, political, youth and women representatives.

“In fact, there are fears for our people in the POC [Protection of Civilians sites] to come out," said Emilio Fada, Minister of Agriculture in Wau, stressing the need to form a joint- committee to engage the displaced persons.

“They see that a peace [agreement] was signed, [but] since September till now there is no implementation on the ground. They still feel that something may happen in the future,” concluded the minister.

“The solution is that the government should take their army back to the barracks, and the opposition [forces] also go to their barracks, and leave the civilians alone,” said Chief Musa Joseph of Ngisa area noting that disengagement of soldiers will allow citizens to return to their respective areas.

“We came to you here to assess challenges affecting voluntary returns,” said Justin Atit, UNMISS civil affairs officer in Wau, noting, “The peace agreement has been signed and the time has come for us to resolve challenges to allow people affected in the camps to return home.”

Mr. Atit noted that the discussion aimed at creating a conducive environment for safe and voluntary returns to the areas under the opposition in Wau

“Disaster has happened as you have seen: farms of the people have been burnt, no medicine, people are suffering,” said Anthony Fada, Opposition Governor in Wau, enumerating the challenges facing people affected by years of conflict.

Mr. Fada urged humanitarian partners to support the returnees with livelihood items as they prepare for the farming season.

The UN Mission in South Sudan is finalizing preparations to repatriate more than 20 people from the Greater Upper Nile who had sought sanctuary at its base in Wau.

The returnees will be flown to the capital, Juba, from where they will disperse to their respective areas of origin, which they fled when fighting broke out in 2013.

“I should be alive and think about the future,” says 27-year-old Margaret Nyarach, one of the Internally displaced persons preparing to leave the camp in less than a week.

The mother of one, who has been living in the camp for five years, has some fears regarding what she will find back home, though.

“I am only thinking about the place I am going to if my children will go to school and I will join school,” said Margaret, adding “The only thing I think about is to go to school and other things will come later on.”

Besides education, optimistic Margaret is also eager to pass a message of peace.

“If I reach, there am going to meet people who are alive and those who are dead. I will tell those alive that the problem of South Sudan is over, and we should stay in peace.”

Cholo Maria, Margaret’s neighbor and the camp women’s leader, is grateful for the opportunity to go back home.

“I am very excited that the UN is taking me home,” says the 40-year-old mother of six, who already has a clear plan about what to do once she gets back home.

“When I go home, I will do business and cultivate my own food. I will become independent and I won’t need the UN food that I lived on for almost 6 yrs,” says the Maria, who continues to show leadership even as she prepares to leave, with a message of hope to those she is leaving behind.

“My message to my colleagues who are remaining behind I will say: live in peace and come in peace,” she says.

Stephen Walok, another camp leader, arrived at the Wau protection site in April 2014 with his wife and six children – two daughters and four sons – and has lived in the protection camp since.

“I feel happy, because my children [already left] and I remained here. I need to join them,” says the 48-year-old medical officer. “I need to join the rest of the family as well. For me, I can say I’m happy. Even anyone can see I’m happy. My children are not here, so I’m ready to leave,” he says.

Stephen is from Leer County in Upper Nile’s Unity area, and is both nostalgic and momentarily sad about what has happened since the conflict began in December2013.

“I miss my family – actually my parents, and the rest of my family have perished in the crisis, including my mother, my brothers, and others, including the wealth: the cattle have been taken, and the house is burnt,” says Stephen, who remains stoic despite all that has befallen him.

“But I don’t mind because it’s the life of a human being that matters most,” he says, adding, “If I’m still alive, I’ll recover what I lost.”

He misses his children, especially the youngest.

“I want to see my children,” says Stephen. “I have a young girl who was born on the Independence Day in 2011, and she has been talking to me. I want to see her, because I have not been seeing her.”

Not everyone will be leaving, though.

32-year-old Bai Bul Rach is a student at the University of Bahr el Ghazal. Because of school, he cannot leave just yet, as he still has one year to go at university.

“I just wish those who’re leaving to go in peace,” he says, adding, “I may not feel unhappy because I’m remaining; what made me remain here, are my studies.”

Married, with three children, he has been at the UN protection site since 2013, depending on the UN and humanitarian agencies.

Bai’s reflection on life at the UN protection site reveals what he ultimately longs for.

“You cannot compare this life with the life of your family, where you’re free to do whatever you want to do,” he says, before revealing what he appreciates most.

“I would like to appreciate the NGOs and the UN for sustaining us all this time. Although it’s not like staying at home, at least the UN maintained us until we reached this time,” he says, making light of the challenges they had.

“We had some challenges, but those are the minor things; we cannot just talk about those things. What’s important is life. UN saved our lives, and we have to appreciate what UN did.”

For the children, like 16-year-old Nyachiek, leaving the camp means parting ways with the life they have grown accustomed to.

“I’ll miss the camp,” says Nyachiek shyly, before saying she would like to become a doctor to help her people.

Shortly after the interview in which she was utterly economical with words, we discover why: she will miss her friends whom, as we leave the camp, she is playing with as she speaks and smiles liberally.

Ethiopia hostes 905,831 refugees, 50.1% of them girls and women. Majority came from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. and Sudan.

194,329 female refugees are enrolled in formal education within and outside of the refugee camps in Ethiopia.

There are a total of 46 women and girls’ centres in five field operations across the country

Highlights

• As part of operationalising the National Strategy for Prevention and Response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence, reflection exercises were conducted throughout UNHCR Ethiopia field offices and camps. SGBV and Child Protection (CP) partners, including ARRA reflected on key achievements, challenges, opportunities, and developed action points towards achieving the six goals of the Strategy. The information thus gathered will be used for further planning and improved implementation towards achieving the objectives.

• The 2018 Campaign for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was commemorated throughout UNHCR Ethiopia field offices and camps under the theme, “End Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work”. From November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10th (Human Rights Day), operations pushed for systemic change and accountability to gender-based violence in all situations of work. Some of the activities were coffee discussions to discuss SGBV issues such as child marriage and domestic violence, as well as panel discussions on SGBV topics accompanied with some entertaining activities - As part of the effort to reinforce UNHCR’s policies and guidance on Prevention and Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and benchmark them with current standards within UN agencies and the humanitarian sector, UNHCR Ethiopia hosted a review mission on current PSEA Policies and Procedures. The mission gathered relevant information as inputs for the overall evaluation of UNHCR’s Policies and Procedures on PSEA; draft reports will be ready in January.

• UNHCR Ethiopia hosted a National Workshop on SGBV Prevention, Mitigation and Response Mainstreaming. The objective of the workshop was to enforce responsibilities for addressing SGBV prevention, risk mitigation and appropriate response measures across all sectors. At the end of the workshop, Education, Child Protection, Health and Nutrition, WASH, Shelter and Energy sectors produced National Action Plans to mainstream SGBV across the respective sectors.

• Action plans on Community Based Complaints Mechanism (CBCM) for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) were developed for camps in Afar and Tigray regions to support CBCMs roll-out in 2019.

• The SGBV e-learning Level 1 online course has been introduced as a mandatory course to all UNHCR staff in Ethiopia across sectors and functional levels.

HIGHLIGHTS

• By the end of December 2018, there were a total of 22,885 refugees in the capital Addis Ababa, mainly from Eritrea, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and refugees of other nationalities, including those from the Great Lakes region. Of the total population, 868 are children, who either arrived alone (377children) or were separated from their parents or relatives during flight (491 children).

• In line with the second objective of the Registration Multi-year Plan of Action (RMYPoA), which focuses on the improvement of the quality of refugees and asylum-seekers data in Ethiopia, UNHCR and ARRA continued conducting continuous registration exercise for refugees residing in Addis Ababa, including issuance of Proof of Registration and ID cards. Currently the registration unit continued updating the refugees’ data using proGres V3 and proGres V4 simultaneously.

• UNHCR and ARRA conducted a comprehensive L-3 registration exercise in the Borana area, Oromia region, hosting thousands of Kenyan refugees. A total of 4,037 individuals were issued with proof of registration documents. In addition, ID cards were issued to all refugees above 14 years of age. Simultaneously, an intention survey for voluntary repatriation was conducted, with 91% of the population showing a willingness to go back to their country of origin.

• UNHCR facilitated the participation of refugees in the annual Diplomatic Bazaar which took place at United Nations Economic Forum for Africa (UNECA) on 8 December 2018. The event brings together embassies and country representations from around 50 countries every year before Christmas, selling a variety of goods including handicrafts and food from their respective countries and cultures. Urban refugees representing six countries joined the event per the tradition. The refugees took advantage of the forum to showcase their talent and cultural diversity which highlighted the fact that refugees have the ability to contribute with their knowledge and skills to the societies they live in.

• In the months of November/December 2018, urban refugees participated in the campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, (SGBV). With reference to this year’s theme ‘End GBV in the world of work’, refugees delivered poems, speeches, drama and other programs as part of the awareness raising drive, and highlighted the issues of SGBV, persons with disabilities (PWD) and HIV/AIDS. They stressed the need to address SGBV in all situations that impact refugees.

• Coordination of protection programs targeting refugees in Addis Ababa is done through the monthly Urban and Kenya Borena Sub-Working Group meetings, that are held every 1st Wednesday of the month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the UNHCR office in Bole. The forum brings together the government refugee agency (ARRA), UNHCR and all the partners working with refugees in Addis Ababa in order to ensure coordinated response in service delivery and efficient use of resources in line with UNHCR protection priorities.

• UNHCR provides reception services at the Urban Refugee Reception Centre, located around what is popularly known as the Hayahulet Mazoriya in Addis Ababa. In addition to registration and documentation services, individual protection and resettlement counselling are available at the center from Monday to Thursday every week, between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm.

• In November 2018, a post-distribution monitoring (PDM) exercise was conducted in Addis Ababa to measure UNHCR’s direct implementation of cash based intervention (CBI) to urban-based refugees. A total of 133 refugees representing all nationalities under the urban assistance programme participated in the survey. Key information including on the timeliness and accuracy of the programme, as well as implementation modalities, appropriateness, as well as actual outputs against planned figures and progress in achieving impact were gathered. A draft report including the gaps identified and recommendations for 2019 CBI programing were shared to the focal persons.

167,695 refugees in Ethiopia are between the ages of 15-24, representing 18.5 % of the registered refugee population in the country

63,495 refugee youth are South Sudanese sheltered in camps in the Gambella region. They make up 38 % of the youth refugee population in Ethiopia

In Pugnido camp, Gambella, a ‘Youth Peace Education Club’, comprising of young people from the host and refugee communities, work on initiatives aimed at fostering peaceful co-existence and peace-building

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Refugee Camps in the Gambella region- hosting over 400,000 South Sudanese refugees- shelter the largest number of refugee youth, representing 38% of the overall refugee youth population in the country. In the Shire camps, the youth constitute 41% of the total refugee population.

• Displaced youth have the ability to play a significant role in the protection and development of their communities as well as those hosting them. Despite the important role refugee youth play, their concerns are rarely reflected in the programmatic responses of UN, NGOs and other organizations working in humanitarian response. Youth have skills, abilities and needs that are rarely fully recognized. Their engagement in peaceful coexistence interventions and in preventing intra- and inter- communal conflicts is crucial.

• UNHCR and partners are engaging adolescent girls in the Melkadida camps in learning and making handicrafts such as baskets, mats, artificial fans, and brooms. The programme aims at girls’ empowerment through socialization and skills development which contributes to their protection from various risks mainly from Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). Besides, the youth are benefiting from skills and Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) training as well as psychosocial programmes with the overall objective of empowering them and addressing their psychosocial needs.

• UNHCR and partners continue engaging the youth in different awareness-raising activities on the risks of onward movement of refugees. Such activities were undertaken mainly in camps in the Tigray region as well as in Addis Ababa. In the former, UNHCR and partners support sport and recreational activities and help to address the psychosocial needs of refugee youth. In Shemelba camp, information centers (mini-media) and migration desks (mini library) have been established in the refugee youth centers aimed at helping the youth to make informed decisions regarding onward migration.

• In Assosa camps, community-based youth initiatives (Clubs) have been established in thematic areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), Music and Drama, Peace and Education. These clubs are actively participating in learning and recreational activities with the refugee community and in awareness raising on reproductive health and HIV AIDS, child protection, SGBV as well as peaceful coexistence between the refugee and the host communities. The initiatives provide the youth with opportunities to become change agents while creating forums for their engagement and participation, eventually contributing to reducing the likelihood of the youth’s involvement in anti-social activities.

• UNHCR is currently implementing youth-led projects supported by UNHCR Department of International Potection‘s ‘Youth Initiative Funding’. The projects are being implemented specifically in refugee camps and surrounding host communities under UNHCR’s Sub Office Jijiga and those under Field Office Pugnido.

• As part of the project’s implementation in Jijiga, boys and girls drawn from both the refugees and host communities participate in basketball and volleyball activities, which are also strategically linked with awareness raising and skills training covering topics such as Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Child Protection (CP), irregular migration and peaceful co-existence. In line with the CRRF, the project promotes integration of refugee programming within the national system through collaboration with the Regional Youth and Sports Bureau.

In September 2018, warring parties in South Sudan signed the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which has resulted in several positive developments, including the establishment of transitional committees and a reduction in casualties of political violence. In spite of this, however, the UN mission (UNMISS) and humanitarian actors continue to confront impediments to complete and unhindered success. Threats against civilians continue, armed groups are clashing, and implementation of kay R-ARCSS provisions is behind schedule.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report organized a workshop on February 6, 2019, to discuss UNMISS’s mandate and political strategy. This workshop offered a platform for member states, UN actors, and outside experts to share their assessment of the situation in South Sudan. The discussion was intended to help the Security Council make informed decisions with respect to the strategic orientation, prioritization, and sequencing of the mission’s mandate and actions on the ground. The workshop focused on the dynamics of the current political process in South Sudan, including the challenges facing the implementation of the R-ARCSS and continuing threats to civilians, the UN mission, and humanitarian actors. Participants identified several ideas to strengthen and adapt UNMISS’s mandate to help the mission advance its political strategy and achieve the Security Council’s objectives in the coming year.

Workshop participants encouraged the Security Council to maintain the UNMISS mandate’s flexible nature and advised against making radical changes. They highlighted several opportunities to improve the mission’s mandate by refining existing tasks to ensure the mission is well-positioned to respond to changes in the operating environment. Among these, the Council should authorize the mission to provide technical support to the peace process, maintain flexible POC language and mandate the mission to facilitate voluntary returns from POC sites, and encourage continued regional engagement in South Sudan’s political process.

Juba, 22 February 2019 – The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Alain Noudéhou, led a high-level delegation of UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations to Yei town in Central Equatoria.

The visit aimed to review the humanitarian situation in the area, which has seen continued conflict over the past few months. The recent clashes have forced more than 9,500 civilians to seek safety and assistance in and around Yei town.

“The internally displaced people I met today in Yei told me they want peace, so they can go home. Getting services to them – including the women and children – must be the priority for all of us. Humanitarian organizations are working tirelessly to provide support and they need a safe space to operate. The violence must stop,” said Mr. Noudéhou.

The humanitarian chief also met with national health authorities and humanitarian organizations working on Ebola Virus Disease preparedness, as South Sudan is at high risk from the spreading epidemic in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We must continue our efforts to keep Ebola at bay,” the Humanitarian Coordinator urged.

National health authorities and humanitarian organizations have screened over 1 million people at dedicated screening centres across the country, vaccinated hundreds of health workers, and continue to work with communities to increase awareness about Ebola.

Nearly 30 humanitarian organizations work in Yei county, supporting conflict-affected people with emergency shelter, clean water, food and nutrition assistance, and health and protection services, including for survivors of sexual violence.

Trends in aid workers killed, kidnapped and arrested (KKA) as reported in open sources

There is a remarkable similarity in the number of open-source reported events as well as the number of affected aid workers in January 2018 and January 2019. Numbers of reported events and affected aid workers rose in the first part of 2018 and declined in the second half of 2018. The graph below summarizes the data from the twelve Aid in Danger Monthly News Briefs (MNB) of 2018. Links to the original sources for these data are available in past editions of the MNB.

To allow for comparison and for consistency in the sources, this graph only shows the open source information as published in the MNB and does not include the confidential or verified agency data provided by partner agencies that is included in the KKA 2018 trend analysis table at the end of the 2018 MNBs and which remains available on HDX. Data collection is ongoing and figures may change as more information is made available.

The countries have been selected by Reliefweb. Data collection is ongoing, and data may change as more information is made available. Our coding defines an aid worker as an individual employed by or attached to a humanitarian, UN, international, national, or government aid agency.

Africa

Burundi

23 January 2019 (DOA): The Burundian Government ordered the NGO Humanity and Inclusion (formerly Handicap International) to halt its operations in Burundi. The order was due to a dispute over ethnic quotas in its workforce, forcing the organisation to lay off its 105 local employees and pull out of the country. The human rights group Avocats Sans Frontières and a Belgian NGO called RCN Justice & Démocratie also announced that they were also departing over the new requirements.
Sources: NPR and Web Wire

Cameroon

27 January 2019: In Far North region, a major influx of refugees from Nigeria has left Cameroon’s UN Humanitarian Coordinator strained for resources. The region faces further waves of refugees from Nigeria and the humanitarian response will have to be further scaled up to cope with the crisis. Source: UN-OCHA

Central African Republic

04 January 2019: In Haute-Kotto province, a group of humanitarian workers from an unspecified organisation were ambushed and assaulted while traveling along the Irabanda road north of Bria. No further details specified. Source: ACLED

Food security situation continues to deteriorate due to conflict-driven displacement, low crop production, economic crisis, climatic shocks and humanitarian access challenges

In the current analysis period of January 2019, 6.17 million people (54% of the population) are estimated to have faced Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity or worse, out of which 1.36 million people faced Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity and 30,000 faced Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) . The people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in January 2019 are found in four counties, namely: Canal/Pigi and Pibor (former Jonglei); Panyikang (former Upper Nile); and Cueibet (former Lakes). Large-scale humanitarian assistance is urgently needed to save lives and protect livelihoods in these counties. Compared with the same time last year, the January 2019 levels of food insecurity reflect a 13% increase in the population facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity or worse in the post-harvest season.

In the projection period of February to April 2019, and in the presence of Humanitarian Food Assistance (HFA) , a total of 6.45 million people (57% of the population) will face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity or worse, with an estimated 45,000 people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). In the projection period of May to July 2019, and in the presence of Humanitarian Food Assistance, a total 6.87 million people (60% of the population) will face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity or worse, with an estimated 50,000 people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).

In January 2019, 16 former counties across the country were classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity, with Greater Upper Nile region having seven (Panyijiar, Koch and Guit of former Unity State; Fashoda and Panyikang of former Upper Nile State; Canal/Pigi and Pibor of former Jonglei State); Greater Bahr el Ghazal region having six (Cueibet, Yirol West, Yirol East and Awerial of former Lakes State; Aweil East of former Northern Bahr el Ghazal State; and Wau of former Western Bahr el Ghazal); and Greater Equatoria region having three (Budi, Kapoeta East and Kapoeta North of former Eastern Equatoria State). Of the remaining counties, 59 are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), out of which 10 counties are classified in IPC Phase 3! (Crisis – would likely have been at least one phase worse without the effects of Humanitarian Food Assistance (HFA)). Ibba and Tambura, in former Western Equatoria State, and Renk of former Upper Nile State, are facing Stressed (IPC Phase 2) acute food insecurity. Areas of concern from previous analyses, including Leer, Mayendit and Greater Baggari sub-area of Wau County are classified in Crisis (IPC Phase 3!) because of large-scale humanitarian food assistance.

The high levels of acute food insecurity continue to be driven by the cumulative effects of the national and localized conflicts, heavy reliance on unpredictable and poor rainfall performances, associated population displacements and prolonged years of asset depletion. These contributed to insufficient crop production, with only 52% of the 2019 national cereal needs being met by harvests. Additionally, conflict has disrupted livelihoods and impacted on households’ access to other food sources, such as wild foods, fish, and livestock products. Furthermore, the on-going economic crisis has significantly reduced households’ purchasing power and vulnerable populations who are reliant on market purchases of highly priced foods. Other significant drivers include the prolonged dry spells at critical stages of crop growth, flooding, and crop pests and diseases.

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