WEEKLY OVERVIEW

• IOM continued with active screening in 17 PoEs out of the 20 IOM supported PoEs, namely: Yei Airstrip, Yei SSRRC, Kaya, Okaba, Khorijo, Pure, Bazi, Salia Musala, Khor Kaya (Busia), Kerwa, Birigo, Bori, Nimule PoE, Nimule River Docking Side, Nimule Airstrip, Wau and Juba International Airport.

• IOM continued to provide IPC/WASH to 15 out of the 17 PoEs run by IOM (Yei Airstrip, SSRRC, Kaya, Salia Musala, Morobo, Bazi, Kerwa, Pure, Khorijo, Khor Kaya, Bori, Berigo, Nimule River Docking, Nimule ground crossing, and Juba International Airport). IOM also continued to support 7 health facilities with IPC/WASH (Yei state hospital, Kaya PHCC, Rhodoba PHCU, Panyume PHCC, Kerwa PHCC, Khorijo PHCU and Morobo PHCC).

• IOM donated IPC/WASH supplies to Yei Hospital (2 boxes of bar soap, 20 liters of liquid soap, 12 bottles of hand washing gel, 10 bottles of hand sanitizers, hard brushes and brooms.

• IOM participated in a joint EVD simulation exercise in Yei Hospital organized by AAH and WHO and presided over by the Yei State Minister of Health.

• As planned, DTM activated FMPs in Kaya (Morobo County, start date 4 February), Kerwa and Pure (Kajo-Keji County, start date 6 February) to replace two FMPs previously operated in cooperation with DTM Uganda. In total, 21 EVD-dedicated FMPs are now active, of which one run in cooperation with DTM Uganda on the Ugandan side of the border.

Widespread breeding in progress in the Horn of Africa

The situation remains extremely alarming in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia where widespread Desert Locust infestations and a new generation of breeding threatens food security and livelihoods in the region. The situation is less worrisome in Uganda and Tanzania.

Kenya. Swarms continue to mature and lay eggs in northern and central counties where hatching and band formation are increasing. At least one swarm arrived in a tea plantation in the southwest county of Kericho while other swarms have been seen further north in Turkana county. There have been no new reports of swarms near Mt. Kilimanjaro. Aerial and ground control operations continue in most areas.

Uganda. Several mature swarms moved northwards within 12 northeastern districts from 9–13 February. Although a few swarms were desperately laying eggs on the surface of the ground, there is a possibility of successful laying in a few limited areas. Control operations were undertaken by the military in one area.

Tanzania. There have been no new reports of swarms after those that entered from the north on 9 February and moved towards Arusha and Moshi.

South Sudan. On 17 February, a mature swarm entered Magwi county in the southeast from Lamwo district in northern Uganda and was moving towards Torit west.

Ethiopia. Ground and aerial control operations continue against mature swarms in the Somali, Oromiya and SNNPR regions, including the Rift Valley. Cross-border swarm movements with Kenya continue to be reported. Breeding is underway but more details are awaited concerning its scale and geographical spread.

Somalia. Breeding is in progress in central areas near the Ethiopian border between Beled Weyn and Gaalkacyo where groups of hoppers and adults are present. Breeding is also underway in the northeast where late instar hopper bands were seen earlier in the month near Garowe.

Red Sea area. Breeding is in progress along both sides of the Red Sea in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea where hopper groups, bands immature adults groups have formed that is likely to cause swarms to form shortly. Several immature swarms have moved from the coastal plains to the interior in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Control operations are in progress in all countries but remains limited in Yemen.

Southwest Asia. Breeding continues on the southeast coast in Iran. The situation is calm along the India border in Pakistan while a few small swarms appeared in cropping areas in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan. In India, control operations are underway against a few residual summer-bred swarms that persist in parts of Rajasthan.

UNMISS “Protection of Civilians” (PoC) Sites Population Update

As of 13 February 2020, the total number of civilians seeking safety in six Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites located on UNMISS bases is 188,528. This includes 115,479 in Bentiu, 27,924 in Malakal, 29,948 in Juba UN House, 1,934 in Bor, and 13,243 in the area adjacent to UNMISS in Wau.

Overview

This Weekly Bulletin focuses on public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 69 events in the region. This week’s main articles cover key new and ongoing events, including:

• Measles in Central African Republic
  
• Measles in Chad
  
• Cholera in Democratic Republic of the Congo
  
• Ebola virus disease in Democratic Republic of the Congo
  

For each of these events, a brief description, followed by public health measures implemented and an interpretation of the situation is provided.

A table is provided at the end of the bulletin with information on all new and ongoing public health events currently being monitored in the region, as well as recent events that have largely been controlled and thus closed.

Major issues and challenges include:

• Central African Republic is experiencing a measles outbreak within the overall context of a complex humanitarian emergency. The incidence cases have rapidly increased in the past weeks and new areas have been affected, including in the urban area of Bangui. A recent risk assessment indicates a high potential for the spread of the disease. While some response measures have been taken, including reactive vaccination in some health zones, these have not conclusively brought the outbreak under control. There is a need for the national authorities and partners to step up response to the ongoing outbreak to avoid further escalation of the situation.

• The protracted cholera outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo is showing signs of improving lately, although the situation is still serious. The number of cases reported on a weekly basis is still very high, at around 500. While this reduction is encouraging, there is a need to sustain the ongoing control interventions. It is also important to address the primary underlying predisposing factors, including provision of potable water and improved sanitation. Alleviating the security situation in the country would go a long way in addressing the root cause of the multiple health problems.

Human rights: EU adopts conclusions on EU priorities at United Nations Human Rights Fora in 2020

The Council today adopted conclusions on the priorities to be followed by the EU in United Nations human rights fora this year.

On the occasion of the year marking the 75th anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter, the Council conclusions reaffirm EU's commitment to the rule-based international order– human rights protection being an important part of it.

In its conclusions the Council restates its commitment to actively uphold, defend and promote the UN Human Rights system as a priority of its external action throughout 2020. In particular the EU will continue to use all available tools to fulfil its commitments to human rights, including in the framework of the UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council and any other relevant fora, denouncing human rights violations and abuses globally.

The conclusions also point out that the EU will pay more attention to the link between human rights and the environment, as well as the consequences of digital technologies for the protection of human rights. The EU will also pursue its thematic human rights priorities, including opposition to the death penalty and torture, the promotion of accountability, international humanitarian law, fundamental freedoms, non-discrimination, rights of children, and support for human rights defenders worldwide.

Council conclusions on EU priorities at UN human rights fora are adopted on a yearly basis. They set out the main lines of action for the EU at UN human rights fora in the following months.

This strategic evaluation covers the full range of emergencies WFP responds to from preparedness, immediate response and longer-term response through to exit. The evaluation is organized around the contribution that WFP capacity makes to the quality of its emergency responses. It considers WFP capacities at three interdependent levels - the enabling environment, the organization and the individual.

The evaluation concluded that:

• WFP has increased its capacity to respond to the increased number and scale of emergency responses over the past decade. However, capacities notably at the individual level are over-stretched.

• WFP has invested in surge mechanisms, training and duty of care for employees with some success. But constraints to developing and sustaining access to needed expertise across emergency contexts and phases of responses risk undermining the quality of emergency responses.

• WFP has developed capacity to deal with the growing complexity of emergency responses and to respond to external trends. However, the lack of an organization-wide emergency response framework constrains linked-up planning for the development of WFP capacities.

• When confronting competing priorities, WFP consistently prioritizes efficiency and coverage. More attention needs to be paid to other aspects of preparedness to make sure responses remain relevant.

• WFP's contribution to sector-wide responses is highly valued and contributes to inter-agency efficiency and better coverage. Evolving roles and UN reform mean that new guidance and clarification will be needed.

• Limitations in WFP corporate monitoring frameworks and systems constrain oversight of the effectiveness of its responses. Effective learning platforms are also lacking.

The evaluation made 10 recommendations:

1. Significantly increase and maintain investment into the scale and pace of the development of long-term, sustainable HR systems to ensure sustained access to skills needed in emergency responses across emergency contexts, roles and phases of response.

2. Build on current momentum and invest in strengthening duty of care across the organization to include wellness, safety and security of staff and to build awareness and understanding of the cross-organizational responsibilities.

3. Significantly strengthen WFP emergency preparedness through context-specific preparation and sustained liquidity of financing and commodity management mechanisms including for pre-emptive response.

4. Develop a consolidated framework for emergency response to support the planning for capacity development and implementation of WFP responses across contexts reflecting the organization's level of ambition for the quality of responses and range of WFP roles.

5. Pursue more equitable approaches to partnerships to include improved and consistent risk management of partners in insecure contexts as well as partner participation in response design and capacity building.

6. Intensify investment in organizational and staff capacity strengthening to ensure WFP can operate through a broad range of roles in increasingly more complex settings and profoundly changing environment.

7. Significantly strengthen support to the practical application of a principled approach and to the centrality of protection, accountability to affected populations and gender responsiveness in emergency response.

8. Continue WFP meaningful engagement with UN reform process to ensure humanitarian space is safeguarded, clarify WFP roles in inter-agency collaboration and develop WFP systems to sustain support for new forms of partnership .

9. Strengthen monitoring of emergency response through tracking results over time and enable comparison across responses.

10. Increase organization-wide access and use of emergency response lessons learned through strengthened knowledge platforms and incentivizing use.

FBRUARY 18, 2020 - JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN: The food supplies of some of the most vulnerable children and families in South Sudan are under threat as massive swarms of desert locusts head towards the country’s border with Kenya and Uganda, Save the Children warns.

The huge plague of locusts, which has already decimated the crops of countries in the Horn of Africa, has been spotted close to Eastern Equatoria on the South Sudanese border with Kenya and Ethiopia. Out of 78 counties in South Sudan, 15% of those in ‘extreme need’ are located in Eastern Equatoria.

South Sudan has been frequently beset by conflict since it gained independence in 2011 and, coupled with drought and flooding, this has led to the displacement of 1.47 million people, who live in temporary camps with basic shelter and often non-existent sanitation. It’s estimated that more than six million South Sudanese people – or just under 60% of the total population - face severe food insecurity and are in need of humanitarian assistance. Thousands of families already face severe food shortages which lead to death and very high and increasing malnutrition in children - including in Kapoeta North, Budi and Pibor counties which are most likely to be infested by desert locusts.

Save the Children is warning that without coordinated preparedness and control measures for the locusts, as well as an increase in funding for surveillance and community mobilisation, the locusts could contribute to a further drop in nutrition levels. Even without the locusts, it is projected that more than 1.3 million children aged under five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2020 including close to 292,000 from severe acute malnutrition.

The current locust outbreak is expected to continue until June 2020 due to anticipated ongoing favourable conditions for locust reproduction. Climate shocks remain a driving factor for acute food insecurity in the Horn of Africa and continues to severely affect several countries in the region. Rainfall between March and mid-May 2019 was less than 50 per cent of the annual average across the region, and subsequent, heavy rainfall and flooding impacted nearly 2.8 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia affecting and destroyed large swathes of crops.

Save the Children’s Country Director in South Sudan, Rama Hansraj, said:

“*Our team in South Sudan has been watching the devastating progress of the desert locusts across the Horn in despair. We fear that the situation in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, which is already serious, will be magnified if the locusts reach South Sudan. Last year we had a prolonged, damaging drought, followed by floods, which displaced thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of homes, and the country is still reeling from years of conflict. A swarm of locusts could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back*.

“*We are calling on donors to increase their funding for community resilience programming and to support community-led surveillance and preparedness. Critically, more funds are needed for already cash-strapped food programs in South Sudan, and we are calling on the government of South Sudan and humanitarian actors to invest more resources in the agricultural sector to avert the devastating impact of the locusts infestation in South Sudan*.”

More than 10 million people already facing severe food insecurity in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan are located in areas currently affected by the desert locust infestation. A further 3.24 million in Uganda and South Sudan are under threat from expanding swarms.

ENDS

SAVE THE CHILDREN IN SOUTH SUDAN:

Save the Children has been working in South Sudan since 1989 and our teams are reaching children and their families in some of the areas that have been worst-affected by food insecurity and violence. We currently have operations in seven of the former-states, with Country Office operations in Juba.

Responding to the current hunger crisis, Save the Children has reached nearly 138,000 people, including more than 58,000 children, through cash and foods distribution to meet their own needs and feed their families using available local resources. In addition to cash and food distributions, we are distributing emergency livelihood kits that include crop and vegetable seeds, hand tools, and fishing kits; restocking goats, to help replenish herds and recover livelihoods; and providing veterinary services to support pastoralists.

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

• Kangu Tito Justin in Juba | +211922844458[Mobile & Whatsapp]| Tito.Justin@savethechildren.

• Daphnee Cook in Nairobi: +254 717 524 904 [Mobile & Whatsapp] or daphnee.cook@savethechildren.org

In Bentiu, Internews’ Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) implements a communicating with communities (CwC) program to increase information sharing. The program operates Kondial 97.2 FM, a humanitarian radio station inside the Bentiu PoC, conducting listening groups to gather community feedback. If you have information to be shared with the PoC or humanitarians, please contact:
Humanitarian Project Manager Nimaya Manasseh (nmanasseh@internews.org) or Team Leader Pout Tuor (ptuor@internews.org).

What We Heard This Week : Feedback from the Community

Lack of Women Centres

Adults in a listening group in Dhorbuor and Pakur requested for a women’s center in their village to enable them to comfortably discuss their own issues like domestic violence, abusive relationships, monthly period, HIV/Aids, teen pregnancies and more. They requested humanitarian agencies to construct a center for them.

Bring Food Distribution Centers Closer

Community member in Tong village said food distribution centers are far. They requested food agencies to move distribution centers to closer villages. In addition, they said that they lack health facilities to cater for their health needs.

Soap Shortage

Community members in a listening group said that they don’t have washing soap. They requested for soap during the monthly distribution. The community is located in Dhorbuor outside the Bentiu PoC. They asked humanitarian agencies to reach out to them and do the needful

In 2019, the overall humanitarian access to affected people improved, partly due to the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in late 2018. A total of 535 access incidents were reported, compared to 760 incidents in 2018, although many access constraints remained under-reported. However, the operational environment for humanitarians remained challenging due to a relative increase in bureaucratic access impediments. Over half of all incidents involved violence against humanitarian personnel and assets. A third of all incidents occurred in Central Equatoria. Close to 50 per cent of incidents were attributed to State security forces and civilian authorities. Three aid workers were killed in Morobo County, Central Equatoria, while delivering humanitarian assistance. A total of 129 humanitarians were relocated due to insecurity, the most significant incident being the relocation of 26 INGO staff from Maban County, Upper Nile, following a number of intrusions, assaults and theft. The main causes of staff relocations were inter-communal violence and cattle raiding in Upper Nile, Unity and Lakes. Forty-seven staff were detained, which impacted the speed of humanitarian operations.

Humanitarians were requested to pay bribes by both State and non-State actors, which led to the detention of staff and threats of eviction. Humanitarian operations were disrupted by active hostilities and military operations in Mundri East and Yei in Western and Central Equatoria, and Maiwut and Panyikang in Upper Nile. Clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition forces in Maiwut led to activities being suspended and staff evacuations. Conflict in Kajo-Keji, Lainya, Morobo and Yei counties in Central Equatoria between SSPDF and National Salvation Front led to a number of health workers being killed, the suspension of humanitarian operations and delivery of critical health services. Looting of humanitarian supplies continued to be a challenge in 2019. There were also physical access constraints such as the poor state of roads following the unusually heavy flooding. Moderate access gains were noted in Greater Baggari in Western Bahr el Ghazal. Humanitarians were also able to reach affected people by road and river in Jonglei and Upper Nile. A reduction in road blocks was reported along major roads in Juba, Rumbek-Wau and Unity. Sporadic fighting and security operations disrupted road movements in areas such as Yei, Lainya and Mundri East. Humanitarian organizations were able to visit Ezo, Nagero and Tambura counties in Western Equatoria freely for the first time since 2016. Security restrictions to Pagak, Maiwut County, were lifted, which enabled humanitarian flights to Pagak and Maiwut to resume for the first time since 2017.

Mobility tracking aims to quantify the presence and needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and relocated individuals in displacement sites and host communities across South Sudan. The assessments are repeated at regular intervals to track mobility dynamics and needs over time. This summary presents the main findings on education from the multi-sectoral location assessment component of the sixth round of Mobility Tracking in South Sudan, carried out in June 2019.

(Juba, 18 February 2020) The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, Matthew Hollingworth, has strongly condemned the brutal killing of an aid worker in Pibor County, Jonglei.

On 12 February, a clearly marked humanitarian vehicle belonging to an international nongovernmental organization was stopped along the Pibor-Gumuruk road at a road block manned by unknown armed youth. The armed youth captured two of the four aid workers in the vehicle. One was shot and the other released. The three surviving aid workers are receiving ongoing support services. The deceased is a South Sudanese national.

“I strongly condemn the killing of aid workers and ask that those responsible for this act be brought to justice. I call upon the Government, all parties and communities to step up efforts to protect humanitarians who are working tirelessly to provide much-needed assistance and improve the lives of people living in isolated areas,” said Mr. Hollingworth. “Our deepest condolences go to the family of the victim and the affected organization,” he added.

Pibor County was heavily affected by the 2019 floods emergency and has recorded severe humanitarian needs over the past years.

At least 116 aid workers have been killed since the start of the conflict in December 2013. Most have been South Sudanese nationals.

Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION

TPO-Uganda in partnership with UN WOMEN have been implementing a series of MHPSS and livelihood support interventions to support Refugees and Host communities improve their wellbeing since 2016. The project provided support to South Sudanese refugees and host communities to access psychosocial support and trauma care. In addition, the project provided minimal livelihoods support to selected beneficiaries and created referral linkages for other services. The project was aimed at strengthening and sustaining recovery and social functioning for sexual and gender-based violence survivors in Emergency Northern and West Nile Regions.
The TPO Uganda /UN Women MHPSS and SGBV Project had the following key deliverables that included: Strengthening access and utilization of gender-based violence survivors to quality mental health and psychological support services; Build and strengthen the role of community support structures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and adverse conditions; Enhance the economic Integration of GBV survivors among refugees as part of empowering them to engage in the local economy and lead more dignified livelihoods.

Resettlement Achievements from 2012 to 2019

• In 2018, largest resettlement submissions ever achieved out of Uganda

• Continuous achievement of annual submission targets

• In 2019, seven resettlement countries accepted to receive refugees from Uganda

• Thus far, cases have had a high acceptance rate

BACKGROUND OF RESETTLEMENT NEEDS

As of 31 December 2019, Uganda is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world with a total of 1,381,122 refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Pakistan, Yemen and other countries. 5% live in Kampala, while the rest live in the settlements. 62% are of South Sudanese nationality, while 29% are of DRC nationality.

UNHCR estimates that 132,546 refugees in Uganda are projected to be in need of resettlement in 2020, including the following refugee populations:

South Sudanese: The protracted nature of the civil war in South Sudan has heavily impacted on the most vulnerable groups. 86% of the SSD refugees have arrived from 2016 onwards when violence erupted again. 30,276 SSD refugees arrived to Uganda between 1 January and 31 December 2019. Many refugees are survivors or witnesses of serious human rights violations, including SGBV. Many have been displaced multiple times over the course of the conflict and have experienced the breakdown of traditional social structures and sources of livelihoods as a result. UNHCR has identified high numbers of separated and unaccompanied children, single parents, women at risk and persons with medical conditions amongst the South Sudanese refugee community in Uganda.

Congolese: Continuous instability in Eastern DRC, fueled by armed conflict and ethnic tensions, prevents refugees from returning. In 2019, 57,242 DRC refugees fled to Uganda. The Congolese refugee population consists of comparatively large numbers of survivors of trauma and violence, including SGBV, unaccompanied or separated children, single parents, and persons with medical needs.

Objective of this strategy

The objective of this strategy is to provide guidance to UNHCR and partners concerning strategic directions in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) for refugees and host communities in Uganda. It will be relevant to all developing responses in health and protection, especially throughout community based protection (CBP), child protection and SGBV.

General Aspects

UNHCR does not understand MHPSS being a “stand-alone” sector, isolated from other services. MHPSS is recognized as a cross-cutting issue within the refugee response and many interventions by actors in the response have an effect on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of refugees and other persons of concerns. As such, MHPSS should be integrated into (sub) sectors such as health and nutrition, community-based protection, SGBV, child protection, education, and livelihood. Accordingly, strategies of these different (sub) sectors provide the basis of the strategic document at hand.

• UNHCR Uganda Community Based Protection Strategy 2016-2018.1 • Multi-Year, Multi-Partner Protection and Solutions Strategy Uganda 2016-2020. Uganda Protection and Solutions Strategy. Internal update.2

• UNHCR 5-Year Interagency SGBV Strategy Uganda 2016-2020.3

• The Republic of Uganda, Health Sector Integrated Refugee Response Plan (HSIRRP) 2019-2024.4

• UNHCR Public Health Strategic Plan 2018-2021.5

• Uganda Country Refugee Response Plan. The Integrated Response Plan for Refugees from South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. January 2019-December 2020 (Revised in March 2019).6

• Ministry of Education and Sports. Education Response Plan for Refugee and Host communities in Uganda (2018).49

• Ministry of Health. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Policy guidelines (March 2017)

The cross-cutting nature of MHPSS does not diminish in any way the importance of MHPSS in the response or the need for adequate resources to be allocated to MHPSS to be respond to the significant operational needs as elaborated below.

Good news sometimes comes with problems attached. Just consider Mundri in Western Equatoria: previously hit hard by conflict, relative peace in the area has tempted many displaced people to return to the area – with acute water shortage being one of the unwanted side effects.

“We come to the borehole at dawn, but even so you can’t get water in time because of the long queues. We are many, many women in Mundri, and despite having many boreholes it seems as if several of them have dried up,” says Joy Aja Clement, a resident of Mundri town.

To counteract this particular result of the increase in population and water demand, the United Nations Misssion in South Sudan is currently undertaking a quick impact project in four villages on the outskirts of Mundri. Water holes in Bangolo, Kediba and Mbara will be either rehabilitated or drilled. Once completed, the intervention is expected to benefit hundreds, if not thousands, of residents.

Improved access to clean water will not only make it possible for other development activities to take off but will also have a direct impact on the education sector in the area, particularly for girls and young women.

“I have not gone to school today because there is no water. I came here at 6 this morning and up to now, several hours later, I have not been able to fetch any water,” lamented Suzan Taban. She finally managed to get hold of 20 litres of the precious liquid, but by then she had missed out on a day’s worth of learning.

Overview

Partners endeavor to stabilize and build diversified, sustainable and resilient livelihoods, with emergency livelihood interventions serving as a basis to develop longer-term strategies. In acknowledging that the time refugees have been displaced is not closely related with their degree of vulnerability, emergency livelihood support targets new refugee arrivals and vulnerable long-term refugees. In line with individuals’ skills, knowledge and aspirations, emergency livelihood support promotes immediate job creation, supported by initial capacity building.

However, in order to achieve sustainable livelihoods there is a need to promote market-driven opportunities, private sector linkages and extensive capacity building of individuals and livelihood groups. Strategic investment in businesses is crucial to support value chains and sustainable job creation. The diversification of livelihood strategies is a key priority to ensure that refugees have the capacity to mitigate with future shocks and stresses. Engaging and building capacity of District Local Government remains a critical activity to integrate refugees into district development plans and to create an enabling environment for inclusive socio-economic development.

During the month of January 2020, 6,172 new refugee arrivals from Democratic Republic of Congo (3,799), South Sudan (1,932) and Burundi (441) sought safety in Uganda, bringing the number of new arrivals since 1 January 2020 to 6,172. The humanitarian situation remains unpredictable in South Sudan and the DRC.

Refugees from the DRC cited inter-ethnic violence in Ituri as well as fighting and attacks on civilians in North Kivu as reasons for fleeing. Those from South Sudan reported insecurity, food insecurity and lack of access to basic services such as education and health as the main causes of flight.

Burundians indicate several reasons for leaving their country including, insecurity, family reunification, reported violence and fear of forcible conscription by militia groups.

• 6,172 Number of new arrivals during January 2020, based on border monitoring.

• 199 Daily average of new arrivals during January 2020, based on border monitoring.

• 1,394,678 Total refugees and asylum-seekers in Uganda as of 31 January 2020.

Operational Context

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan and the DRC remained unpredictable during the reporting period. Most of the new Congolese refugees arrived from Ituri province across Lake Albert and were transferred to Kyangwali settlement. Those arriving at the transit centres and collection points through Nyakabande and Matanda came from Rutshuru, Goma, Uvira, Masisi, Biriza, Bukoma, and Buanza; those passing through Ntoroko mainly came from Ituri and North Kivu, Tchoma, Kasenyi, Boga, Beni, and Nyamamba. All were settled in Kyaka II. Asylum-seekers from South Sudan continued to arrive through Lamwo district (Ngomoromo, Awenolwi, Madi Opei, Waligo Entry points), Adjumani (Elegu Collection Point) and Koboko district (Kuluba Collection Point, Oraba, Busia border point and Ocea TC).

Juba, South Sudan, February 18, 2020 — As the next deadline for the formation of the South Sudan Unity government approaches, the International Rescue Committee calls on all parties to resolve differences and focus on addressing the immediate and long term needs of its people. South Sudan has been at conflict for more than six years. More than two million South Sudanese have fled the country and another two million are displaced from their homes or living in camps.

The country is still recovering from massive flooding and now faces oncoming locust swarms which will devastate crops, food and any hope of earning an income. With more than 5 million people at risk of starvation, it is urgent that all parties immediately focus on the recovery of its country and its people.

Susan Purdin, Acting South Sudan Country Director, said,

“We are seeing too many malnourished children in our clinics, parents who are unable to feed their families, children without access to education, young people without jobs, women scared to leave their homes afraid of the violence they face, and barely any law and order and justice for perpetrators. The South Sudanese people deserve to live in a country where they can safely leave their homes, grow crops, start businesses and provide education for their children. All parties in South Sudan must come together and end this selfish disregard for the people it is meant to serve.

“With a strong, stable government, South Sudan can and will see peace and prosperity. The children of South Sudan, the future generation, will stop dying of starvation and preventable diseases, receive the education they deserve and drive the country to a solid economic future.

“We recognize recent efforts made to resolve differences and push the peace process forward. This is not the time to take our eye off the ball. The international community must intensify efforts to push parties to a final resolution. Only then will the South Sudanese people have a chance at the country they deserve.

"The world has forgotten South Sudan. With the formation of the Unity government, faith in the country will be restored. The US, UK and Europe must use this as an opportunity to increase funding to aid agencies and invest in the South Sudan economy. Now is the time to build a better future for the people of South Sudan.”

The IRC has more than 400 staff in South Sudan responding to the increasingly dire food insecurity crisis through our support for health, nutrition, reproduction health and women’s protection and empowerment, child protection, as well as livelihoods. The IRC is one of the largest providers of aid in South Sudan serving more than 900,000 people.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kellie Ryan
International Rescue Committee
+254 758 710 198
Kellie.Ryan@rescue.org

IRC Global Communications
+1 646 761 0307
communications@rescue.org