(MissionNewswire) Robert Ocan, 33 years old, is a refugee at the Palabek Refugee Camp who assists Salesian missionaries with educational projects. Before he arrived at Palabek, Ocan was a professor of chemistry and mathematics in Pajok, South Sudan, which is located 15 kilometers from the border with Uganda. When war reached the almost 50,000 people living there in April 2017, Ocan had to flee for his safety, but he didn’t go alone.
Married with two young children, Ocan heard the rebel gunfire in the city center. As soon as he did, he organized not only his family’s escape but also the escape of almost 7,000 other people. Thanks to his mobile phone, he warned the schoolteachers to bring the children into the bush. Ocan recalled, “They ran and escaped with what they were wearing and had no water or food with them.”
When Ocan was young, he also had to flee with his parents during the war of independence in Sudan. But this time, when Ocan fled to Uganda, everything was easier because the country is welcoming refugees. Ocan noted, “UNHCR buses took us to Palabek, the last refugee settlement that was opened in northern Uganda.”
Uganda has become home for more than 1.3 million refugees—82 percent of whom are women and children—in the wake of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, according to the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. Millions have fled South Sudan and nearly 400,000 have died as a result of armed clashes. Many of those who have fled to Uganda, like Ocan and his family, have taken refuge at the Palabek Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda.
According to UNHCR, Palabek is currently home to nearly 46,000 refugees and asylum seekers. It was officially set up in April 2016 to reduce congestion in larger refugee camps in the northwestern corner of Uganda. Several agencies are involved in providing food and education within Palabek.
“Robert is the mediator of any conflict among the refugees, but also the highest authority of the refugees before those who manage the settlement. He has continuous meetings with UN authorities and the prime minister’s office and regularly visits every part of the camp to check that everything is in order,” explained Mariatzu, a refugee who arrived with him from Pajok.
Ocan receives no salary for his work. He is also involved in all the educational projects that the Salesians have undertaken in Palabek. Salesian missionaries at the settlement are offering much-needed psycho-social support and pastoral care for thousands of Christian residents. They also operate four nursery schools that educate more than 1,000 children. In addition, there are over 700 children attending Salesian primary and secondary schools, and more than 700 families that are supported by other initiatives.
Salesian missionaries launched a vocational training center to offer life skills and other training to help young refugees prepare for employment. Young refugees are able to attend vocational training courses for free. Depending on the discipline, some courses run for 3-6 months while others run as long as a year. Salesian missionaries have also set up a job placement office that helps students make contact with companies that are hiring, prepare resumes and prep for interviews, and find internships and on-site training opportunities.
“I have a hope of peace because Don Bosco is contributing to creating a new generation of young people,” said Ocan. “Don Bosco offers education, a great humanitarian and pastoral service and, above all, gives us hope for the future and trust in our capacities.”
Ocan’s dream, as with many refugees, is to return to South Sudan but acknowledges that it will take a few years. He added, “It is not enough for peace agreements to be signed. Clashes must end, free elections must be held, whoever wins must be recognized as the winner, a government must be formed and we all must start working together for peace. To do all this, at least five years must pass.”
1. Situation Update
This week, the incidence of Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases continued to be low (Figure 1). From 10 to 16 February 2020, one new confirmed case was reported in Beni Health Zone, North Kivu Province in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The case was reported on 11 February 2020, and was listed and followed as a contact at the time of detection, with known epidemiological links. Early detection of cases reduces the probability of transmission of EVD in the community and significantly improves the clinical outcome for the patients.
In the past 21 days (27 January to 16 February), 10 new confirmed cases, including three community deaths, were reported from four of the 30 health areas in two active health zones in North Kivu Province (Figure 2, Table 1): Beni (90%; n=9) and Mabalako (10%; n=1). It has been more than 42 days since new cases were confirmed from Butembo Health Zone. In Mabalako Health Zone, there are no more contacts in their high risk period (days seven to 13 since last possible exposure).
While we are cautiously optimistic about the overall trend and reduced geographic spr ead of the outbreak, the security situation in several EVD-affected health areas remain volatile, and the risk of spread within Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries remains high. Given delays in isolation of some cases in recent weeks and continued reports of nosocomial transmission, we expect to see additional cases in the coming weeks. It is critical that response teams rapidly detect, investigate and follow-up all cases and their contracts.
As of 16 February 2020, a total of 3432 EVD cases, including 3309 confirmed and 123 probable cases have been reported, of which 2253 cases died (overall case fatality ratio 66%). Of the total confirmed and probable cases, 56% (1923) were female, 28% (968) were children aged less than 18 years, and 5% (172) were healthcare workers.
On 12 February 2020, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus reconvened the Emergency Committee for EVD under the International Health Regulations to review the status of the outbreak. It was the view of the Committee that this event still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Further details can be found in the Emergency Committee Statement.
WHO revised the risk assessment for this event from Very High down to High at the national and regional levels, while the risk level was maintained as Low at the global level. This assessment acknowledged improvements in case incidence and other epidemiological indicators, and the strengthened local and regional capacities.
HIGHLIGHTS
USAID provides more than $52.6 million in additional funding for EVD preparedness and response efforts
Health actors, including USAID/OFDA partners, respond to case cluster in Beni
Insecurity continues to disrupt EVD response activities and hinder access in affected areas
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
USAID is providing more than $52.6 million in additional funding to support ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) response activities within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as EVD preparedness efforts in Burundi and South Sudan. The funding includes approximately $50.4 million from USAID/OFDA to support public health interventions, complementary programs intended to address other key needs in EVD-affected areas, humanitarian coordination and information management (HCIM) services, and logistics support. In addition, the total includes $2.2 million from USAID/GH to provide critical EVD preparedness support in areas at risk of virus transmission.
The Government of the DRC (GoDRC) Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded 10 confirmed EVD cases from January 27 to February 16, the three most recent epidemiological weeks. Despite low recent weekly case counts, response actors report continued gaps in surveillance and other response activities following the recent detection of a cluster of confirmed EVD cases with epidemiological links to a private health facility in Beni Health Zone’s Kanzulinzuli health area, North Kivu Province. In response to the case cluster, USAID/OFDA partners are increasing support for community engagement and infection prevention and control (IPC) activities in and near Kanzulinzuli.
Armed group activities in and around EVD-affected areas—including attacks in southern Mandima Health Zone, Ituri Province, by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements in early February—continue to disrupt response efforts and restrict access for EVD response teams, jeopardizing recent progress in interrupting virus transmission.
Restrict Powers, Free Detainees, Hold Violators to Account
South Sudan’s National Assembly should urgently enact reforms of the National Security Service (NSS) to end arbitrary detention and abuse of detainees, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should also ensure that the security agency releases all those arbitrarily detained in Juba, the capital, and elsewhere in the country and hold all those responsible for abuses to account.
“South Sudan’s national security agency has for years carried out a full-blown assault on critics of the government and political opponents in brazen disregard for basic rights,” said Jehanne Henry, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “With the formation of a unity government, South Sudan’s leaders should now show they are serious about ending these abuses and holding those responsible to account.”
South Sudan’s government and opposition leaders are supposed to form a new unity government on February 22, 2020, in accordance with the terms of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. The National Assembly, South Sudan’s parliament, is to consider new legislation to revise structure, policies, and procedures of the security service amongst others in the coming days, before the new government is formed.
Lawmakers should prioritize revising the National Security Service Act (2015) to prohibit the agency from carrying out arrests and detaining people and ensure adequate and broad-based discussions on the reforms. The authorities should also close all unauthorized detention sites and release or appropriately charge detainees and transfer them to police custody, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called on the South Sudanese authorities to limit NSS powers to intelligence gathering, as envisioned by the Transitional Constitution of 2011, which mandates the agency to “focus on information gathering, analysis and to advise the relevant authorities.”
Human Rights Watch, the South Sudan Human Rights Commission, and others have documented and reported on the pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, and enforced disappearances by the National Security Service, with little to no accountability for the abuses. NSS detainees are often kept in poor conditions in unauthorized, ungazetted, secret detention facilities and in congested cells with inadequate access to food, water, and medical care.
Prior to the formation of the new government, the NSS has increased repression of critics, eroding the space for opposing views and critical public dialogue.
In early February, NSS officers in Maridi allegedly detained a sports journalist for “spreading wrong information against the state” and beat him with a stick and pipe, credible sources told Human Rights Watch. In January, NSS officers arrested Ijoo Bosco, a journalist working with a local radio station in Torit, reportedly for airing news on United States government sanctions against the first vice president, Taban Deng Gai, for human rights abuses.
In December 2019, NSS officers arrested and detained an assistant lecturer at the University of Western Bar el Ghazal in Wau for reportedly mobilizing rebel fighters against the peace agreement’s security arrangements. He was released in January without charge.
At least 100 people are being held in the main NSS detention facility, known as the Blue House, in Juba. They include both security sector personnel held for disciplinary purposes and civilians held without charge, often for long periods, according to credible sources. One such detainee is Riek Malual Kuei, a trader in his late 30s, arrested by NSS officers in Juba on October 9, 2017. He was arrested because he was reportedly engaged in financial transactions for the armed opposition, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A-IO). Kuei remains detained at NSS headquarters in Juba without charge or trial.
The NSS Act grants the agency broad powers of arrest, detention, search, seizure, and surveillance. It does not include guarantees to prevent arbitrary detention and torture or other ill-treatment, and includes provisions providing NSS offers with immunity to arrest for human rights violations. And while it requires the NSS to bring detainees before a magistrate or judge within 24 hours of their detention, the NSS seldom does.
As part of the revitalized peace deal signed in September 2018 the government agreed to reform the agency, along with other security organs. In January 2019, the constitutional review commission submitted proposed amendments to the NSS Act to the Justice Ministry for deliberations and for presentation before the National Assembly.
The proposed amendments limit, but do not eliminate, the agency’s powers of arrest and detention, and criminalize torture. They retain the agency’s surveillance powers, without sufficient oversight, and permit an overly broad “crimes against the state” as a basis for arrest. The proposed law defines the crime as “any activity directed at undermining ... the government” and references the same crime in the 2008 Penal Act, which is equally vague.
South Sudan’s leaders should now revise the law to genuinely limit the role and powers of the NSS. They should order closed all unauthorized places of detention and release detainees or hand them over to legitimate law enforcement officials for charge and trial. South Sudan authorities should also hold those responsible for serious NSS abuses over the years to account, Human Rights Watch said.
“South Sudan’s leaders need to rein in the abusive NSS, an outgrowth of the old, repressive Sudanese system that society has so clearly rejected,” Henry said. “South Sudanese legislators should go beyond the proposed amendments to the security law and bring this agency in line with international standards.”
CONTEXT
The aim of PMM in South Sudan is to inform the 2020 EVD National Preparedness Plan by providing partners with relevant information on population mobility and cross-border movements. More broadly, it aims to improve prevention, detection and response to the spread of infectious diseases through an improved understanding of prevailing human mobility patterns. The specific objectives of this exercise are:
Provide information on the dynamics and characteristics of mobility between DRC, particularly EVD-affected areas, other countries at risk of EVD transmission and South Sudan to help prevent and detect the potential spread of EVD to South Sudan
Identify priority locations in high risk areas, for the implementation of public health emergency preparedness measures.
In collaboration, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Migration Health teams rolled out PMM in South Sudan in 2 stages:
Population Flow Monitoring (FM): As part of IOM’s EVD preparedness activities, the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has been operating 26 Flow Monitoring Points (FMP) on the borders with DRC, Uganda (UGA) and the Central African Republic (CAR). The findings presented in this report cover the period of 1 January to 31 October 2019
Participatory Mapping Exercises (PME): IOM, in coordination with South Sudan's Ministry of Health, carried out two PMEs in South Sudan to complement FM results and inform preparedness activities. The participatory mapping approach involves collecting information from key informants through facilitated group discussions.
CONTACT
DTM South Sudan,
SouthSudanDTM@iom.int
Ethiopia ratifies Kampala Convention: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Ethiopia’s ratification on 13th February of the African Union (AU) Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Africa, known as the Kampala Convention. The Convention, a key regional legal instrument aimed at protecting, assisting and resolving the plight of IDPs, was unanimously passed by Ethiopia’s parliament, making Ethiopia the 31st African Union Member State to ratify the Convention since its adoption in 2009. This represents a significant achievement for a country that has had to recently manage massive internal displacement within its borders.
The Kampala Convention is the world’s first and only regional legally binding instrument for the protection and assistance of IDPs, who often face heightened risks of sexual and other violence during their displacement, while they struggle to access their basic rights.
Ethiopia has one of the world’s largest IDP populations, estimated to be 1.78 million individuals, according to the 2020 UN Humanitarian Response Plan. UNHCR is part of the inter-agency humanitarian effort in Ethiopia to assist those displaced by conflict and climate shocks and has been encouraging the Government to ratify the Convention. UNHCR is also supporting national authorities in the drafting of an IDP Policy which will provide a domestic legal framework for the protection of and assistance to IDPs. Following the Government-led large-scale IDP return operation last year, UNHCR has been supporting reintegration and recovery efforts for displacement affected Ethiopians, including returnees and vulnerable host communities.
UNHCR donates ambulances in Gambella, school furniture in Afar: UNHCR donated two ambulances to the Gambella Regional Health Bureau to facilitate health service delivery in the Region. The ambulances will support the Gambella general hospital where refugees are referred to as well as the Gambella Town Primary hospital. Similarly, UNHCR handed over 190 combined desks and 150 chairs to the secondary school in Barahle, Afar, to furnish the newly completed academic block. Currently 83 refugee students are enrolled in Barahle secondary school.
51 South Sudanese refugees relocated to Gure-Shembola Camp: UNHCR, ARRA and IOM relocated 51 newly arrived South Sudanese refugees from Pamdong Reception Centre in Gambella to Gure-shemobola camp in the Benishngul-Gumuz Region. They were flown to Assosa airport and transported by road to the camp. This brings the total number of refugees in the camp to 8,831.
Rehabilitation & reconstruction of infrastructure in Gedeo and West Guji: UNHCR is in the final phase of the rehabilitation/reconstruction of nine projects in the Gedeo and West Guji areas for the benefit of displacement affected Ethiopians, including IDP returnees and vulnerable host communities. The projects are currently being inspected by UNHCR experts before an official inauguration and handover to the regional authorities.
UNHCR coordinates with local authorities and FAO to mitigate locust infestation: UNHCR is working closely with the local administration in Dollo Ado and FAO to urgently respond to the desert locust infestation in the area before it causes irreversible harm to livelihoods. It has requested FAO to arrange for aerial anti-locust sprays while also coordinating with the Dollo Ado Woreda administration in reviewing local response plans to the threat.
FRANCESCA MOLD
Civil society advocates are calling for parties to put aside their dispute over future states and form a transitional government so that peace can be secured in the best interests of the people of South Sudan.
The call came from groups attending the “Our Peace Forum” hosted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to bring civil society together to share experiences and to enhance their role in the fragile peace process.
“We advocate and urge our government and opposition to come together and form the government despite the number of states and boundaries so that they are able to move freely and will be able to consult people later because if there is peace they will be able to reach people,” said William Mabior Achuil from the Civil Society Peace Taskforce.
“Now in the country, the people of South Sudan are not only in Juba. They are not only in the state headquarters. There are other people in the rural areas, in the villages, and the bomas but, if they are not accessible now, we are not able to consult and have a concrete or inclusive consultation.”
Since the signing of the peace deal in September 2018, the issues of states and boundaries has proved to be a major obstacle to the formation of the new government.
Several days ago, the Government changed its position of retaining the current 32 states and announced an immediate return to 10 states, which was the preference of the opposition. Concerns remain, however, about the creation of three administrative areas, and talks to resolve this politically sensitive issue are underway between political leaders in Juba.
UNMISS has urged the parties to reach a compromise so that a new unified government can be formed in a timely manner as promised to the people. The deadline imposed by the parties themselves is just three days away, on February 22.
“We very much want to see a unity and transitional government where all the parties are in the government together, are making decisions together and are leading together for the benefit of the entire country,” said David Shearer, the Head of UNMISS. “They can then stand by their decisions because they have been made together in the interests of the people of South Sudan.”
The “Our Peace Forum” is the fourth in a series of events facilitated by the Civil Affairs Division of UNMISS in recent months. The first focused on the role of grassroots communities in the peace process. The second brought together subnational and national actors to discuss the implementation of the peace agreement and the third focused on aspirations for unity, inclusivity and peace.
At the latest forum, civil society groups highlighted the importance of their role in bringing the voices of communities at the grassroots level to the attention of national leaders.
“This forum is useful in the way that it acts as a link between the society and the necessary authorities. It is a very big link,” said Juzela Anthony Awut from the Kindness Community Development Organization.
“It also recognizes our work as civil society in implementing peace. We are working towards it and we hope for the better.”
Government representatives at the forum recognized the efforts of civil society and their importance in the peace process.
“As far as we are working together - the government, the civil society, faith-based groups and all these groups - since we are working together this will be the high time for us to see that peace is moving,” said Hon. Majur Barbur, a member of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly.
There have been two previous delays to the peace process as the result of the inability of parties to reach consensus on states and boundaries as well as the sluggish progress made to date with reunifying security forces.
It is hoped the negotiations currently underway will resolve the differences so that the transitional government can be formed.
What is the goal?
WFP aims to fight food insecurity, restore livelihoods of rural populations, eliminate isolation and inequity in South Sudan by constructing and rehabilitating trunk and feeder roads.
Road projects aim to enhance farm-to-market access in areas with agricultural potential and Improve rural connectivity to social services such as heath, education and other basic services.
How many projects are ongoing or completed?
Some 13 trunk road rehabilitation works have been completed totaling around 1,000 km of roads across the country. The Kuacjok Bridge (120m) was completed in 2019. Emergency road repairs were conducted in Maban on the Kaya - Banketa road. Currently, WFP is constructing 13.2 km of the Saura-Li Rangu road and a 14.8 km stretch of the Li Rangu- Nzara road both in Western Equatoria. The project for construction of the 48 km Torit-Magwi road in Eastern Equatoria commenced in early 2020 whilst works are ongoing on the Bor - Ayod road.
Are any other activities implemented under this programme?
WFP also repairs and constructs complementary feeder roads with community participation and conducts community sensitization, monitoring and evaluation as part of the operation. These are important to ensure that communities and authorities are informed about ongoing activities. It also allows WFP to monitor and evaluate the impact projects have in their areas of operation.
Why does WFP build roads at all?
In the past, WFP had difficulty reaching people in need of food assistance. A project started in 2004 to create access to those in need (2,600 km of trunk roads, as well as bridges and structures were repaired or maintained between 2004 and 2018).
Improved access to markets and social, health and education services increase the overall wellbeing of people. This is one way to fight food insecurity and assist the people of South Sudan to meet their own food and nutrition needs.
Improved infrastructure complements other activities such Food For Assets (FFA) and Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS).
FFA assists food-insecure communities through community-based asset creation activities including the restoration of productive capacity, community infrastructure development, natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and skills development (such as creating community access roads, vegetable gardening, tree planning, and training).
SAMS strives to connect smallholders to markets and enhance their livelihoods. Proper and reliable roads ensure that farmers have this opportunity by facilitating access.
How do you ensure road maintenance?
WFP is cooperating closely with authorities at national and state levels. This cooperation includes capacity building of national and state government staff as well as local community members, especially for maintenance works. Each feeder road project includes a maintenance programme of a duration of six months to one year after construction works have been completed.
Stakeholders (including donors, the Government and implementing partners) are consulting on a country-wide maintenance strategy to ensure roads are maintained after they have been handed over to the Government.
Humanitarians have continued response activities in the flood-affected areas, providing the affected people with emergency assistance. By mid-February 2020, more than 975,000 people have been assisted with over 19,600 metric tons of emergency food supplies and US$4.8 million in cash assistance. In addition, about 1,000 metric tons of emergency flood response aid—emergency shelter and non-food items (NFI), and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, protection and nutrition support—have been transported to prioritized flood-affected locations since November 2019. Response achievements include over 60,000 flood-affected households reached with vegetable seeds and/or fishing equipment; more than 59,000 households assisted with the Emergency Flood Rapid Response Kits; and some 41,000 families received minimum WASH packages. In Maban, Upper Nile, more than 25,000 refugee households and nearly 13,000 families from host-communities have received NFIs and 210 emergency shared latrines. Up to 17,000 flood-affected households in priority locations still need NFIs in early 2020, for which response is ongoing.
Logistical constraints and reduced supplies in-country are the main challenges in responding to vulnerable people’s needs. Additional resources are required to address short- and longer-term needs exacerbated by the floods. Flood response activities will continue until the end of February in some of the locations; in others, they have been integrated into the dry season humanitarian response.
Extreme weather events due to the climate crisis are becoming the new normal in the Greater Horn of Africa. Just two years after the 2016/2017 drought and one year after flooding in 2018, back-to-back droughts and floods in 2019 have led to rising needs and compounded the humanitarian consequences of conflict and violence in multiple locations. In addition to loss of lives, livestock and crops, as well as population displacement, the above normal rains and cyclonic activity in late-2019 and early-2020 contributed to a desert locust upsurge that has affected Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and spread to Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania. Of the 24.1 million severely food insecure (IPC 3+) people across the Greater Horn of Africa, an estimated 9.75 million are living in areas affected by desert locusts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The desert locusts—the most dangerous migratory pest in the world—are expected to continue to breed and spread in the coming months, coinciding with the start of the next planting season.
Without urgent effective control measures, the locusts could severely impact the food insecurity of households already struggling to cope with multiple shocks. The locust upsurge also comes at a time when the region is battling multiple communicable disease outbreaks. So far in 2020, there have been over 2,000 cases of cholera in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, while Sudan was declared cholera free as of 23 January 2020.
Measles outbreaks are ongoing in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, while cases of chikungunya and leishmaniasis have been reported in Kenya, dengue and polio in Ethiopia and hepatitis E in South Sudan. Across the region, some 12.3 million people remain forcibly displaced—including 8.1 million internally displaced people and 4.2 million refugees—making them particularly vulnerable to these repeated shocks.
DENG MOU
Armed forces of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance and the South Sudan People’s Defense Force staying at the Pantit cantonment site near Aweil have agreed with the surrounding civilian communities to live in peace with each other.
Residents in the area have been raising concerns about the presence of the armed forces, accusing them of impregnating their girls, committing adultery, making animals disappear, randomly cutting down trees, hunting in the nearby bushes and other kinds of harassment.
“Soldiers always make our girls pregnant without marrying them. We have suggested that they consult the parents of any girls they are interested in before taking them away,” said Samuel Kur Makur, a local resident.
A County Chief of Gomjuer West, Peter Wek Bak, urged the forces gathered in Pantit to respect and cooperate with the local traditional leaders.
“Our trees are being cut down without informing us. Our cows and goats disappear when they pass through the centre [of the village],” the County Chief complained.
Angelina Achol Alich, another vocal local, expressed her frustration about men causing conflict in the country while their innocent wives and daughters bear the brunt of the violence and its many grave consequences. She suggested a radical solution.
“I would like to advise my fellow women in South Sudan to unify and boycott men. Stop giving birth till men stop fighting. We cannot give birth to children whose faith is doomed,” she argued.
These concerns were raised during a one-day workshop between civilians and armed forces, organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. The gathering came about amidst reports of rising tension between the two groups.
Ms. Achol welcomes the resolutions agreed on during the discussions: peaceful coexistence from now on, and the establishment of a civil-military committee which will meet on a weekly basis to solve any issues that may still arise.
Various representatives of the troops present at the meeting also agreed that the time for improved relations is now, and pledged to spread this message around their barracks.
The Pantit cantonment site, currently a joint training centre for government and opposition soldiers, is hosting more than 1,800 troops. Once trained, government and opposition forces will become one unified national army, as stated in the revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018.
HRC/20/1
BACKGROUND RELEASE
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold its forty-third regular session from 24 February to 20 March 2020 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, 24 February under the presidency of Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the General Assembly Tijani Muhammad-Bande, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, and the Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis will deliver keynote statements.
Following the session opening, the Council will hold a three-day high-level segment, 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. On 27 February, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will update the Council on the activities of her Office and the situation of human rights around the world.
In its annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming on 24 February, the Council will review the 30 years of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The following day, a high-level panel will celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action addressing the rights of women. In its annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities on 6 March, the Council will explore awareness-raising to foster respect for the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. On 13 March, in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Council will hold a debate on a midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent.
During the session, the Council will review over 100 reports on a wide range of human rights issues and situations of concern and will engage with nearly 30 human rights experts, groups and mechanisms.
Regarding the situation of human rights in Palestine, Ms. Bachelet will discuss with the Council her report on the implementation of the recommendations by the independent international commission of inquiry on the protests in the occupied Palestinian territory. She will also present the report on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the report on a database of business enterprises engaged in certain, specific activities in the occupied Palestinian territory that are either explicitly linked to Israeli settlements.
In an interactive dialogue on Eritrea, the Council will hear an oral update by the Special Rapporteur and an oral update on progress made in the cooperation between Eritrea and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and its impact on the human rights situation in the country.
In a dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council will examine the root causes of the human rights violations and abuses against the Rohingya Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar. It will also discuss the involvement of the United Nations in Myanmar with the Secretary-General and review the human rights situation in the country in a dialogue with the Special Rapporteur.
Also under its agenda item on reports by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council will examine reports on the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner in Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia, and oral or written updates or reports on the human rights situation in Nicaragua, Yemen, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Iran and Cyprus.
Under its agenda item on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention, the Council will address the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in a dialogue with the Special Rapporteur. It will also hear the High Commissioner’s oral update on the progress in the implementation of recommendations made by the group of independent experts on accountability in this country. It will review the human rights situation in Myanmar after hearing the presentation of a report by the Special Rapporteur. It will hold a dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan presenting its latest comprehensive report. On Iran, the Council will engage in a dialogue with the Special Rapporteur and will examine the Secretary-General’s report on the human rights situation in the country. It will hold an interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi following their oral update. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic will present its report to the Council and discuss the human rights situation in the country, as well as their thematic study on child rights in the country. The Council will also hear oral updates by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Venezuela.
Under technical assistance and capacity building, the Council will hold an enhanced interactive dialogue to discuss the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during which it will hear from the team of international experts on the situation in Kasai and from the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on Mali; hear the oral report of the High Commissioner on Ukraine followed by an interactive dialogue; hold an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Libya; and hold a high-level interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in the Central African Republic, which will place special emphasis on preventing the recruitment and use of children in the armed conflict. It will also discuss the High Commissioner’s country report on Afghanistan.
As for thematic human rights issues, the Council will engage with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities on the issue of ableism in medical and scientific practice; Special Rapporteur on human rights and environment on good practices of States in recognizing the right to live in a safe and clean environment; and Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt on human rights violations in the context of the rising private indebtedness.
The debate will also encompass the questions of cultural rights defenders, human rights defenders operating in conflict and post-conflict situations, the situation of women and children impacted by albinism, as well as the guidelines for the implementation of the right to adequate housing.
The Council will hold interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteurs on the right to food; the right to privacy in the digital age; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, including a focus on foreign fighters; freedom of religion; and on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material.
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 Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will present a study on the role of technical assistance and capacity-building in fostering mutually beneficial cooperation in promoting and protecting human rights, and a study on utilizing non-repatriated illicit funds with view to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Council will consider the recommendations on education, language and the human rights of minorities that emerged from the November 2019 session of the Forum on Minority Issues; the Social Forum’s report on its 2019 meeting on the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education; and the report by the open-ended intergovernmental Working Group on progress in drafting a legally binding instrument to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights.
The Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights will present their annual report, while Ms. Bachelet will update the Council on successes, best practices and challenges in technical assistance and capacity-building efforts.
The Council will consider and adopt the final outcome of the Universal Periodic Review of 14 States (Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, Iran, Madagascar, Iraq, Slovenia, Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina).
At the end of the session, it will appoint Special Procedures mandate holders as follows: five members of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development and two members of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and two country-specific mandate holders, on the situation of human rights in Somalia and on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
The Council will further appoint 10 thematic mandate holders: on foreign debt, on human rights of older persons, on adequate housing, on contemporary forms of slavery, on extreme poverty, on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures, on the right to food, on the rights of indigenous peoples, on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, and on the situation of human rights defenders.
The Council will hold nine general debates during the session: the general debate on the High Commissioner’s oral update will start on 27 February and the general debate on the promotion and protection of all human rights on 6 March. On 10 March, the Council will start the general debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention and will hold the general debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms on 11 March.
The general debate on the Universal Periodic Review will take place on 13 March, and on 16 March, the Council will hold general debates on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, on the follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and on racism and racial discrimination. On 18 and 19 March, the general debate on technical assistance and capacity-building will take place.
On 19 and 20 March, the Council will take action on decisions and resolutions and will then conclude the session.
Further information on the forty-third session can be found here, including annotated agenda, 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 forty-third session is as follows:
Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Eritrea, Fiji, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Libya, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Togo, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The President of the Human Rights Council in 2020 is Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The Council’s four Vice Presidents are Nasir Ahmad Andisha of Afghanistan, Socorro Flores Liera of Mexico, Juraj Podhorský of Slovakia and Yackoley Kokou Johnson of Togo.
For further information and media requests, please contact Rolando Gómez (+ 41 22 917 9711 / rgomez@ohchr.org ), Sarah Lubbersen (+ 41 22 917 9813 / slubbersen@ohchr.org or Sanna You, + 41 22 917 XXXX / syou@ohchr.org )
Some of the key achievements included:
74,000 individuals benefitted from emergency shelter/NFIs, with 70,000 individuals receiving cash assistance for emergency shelter/NFIs.
56,000 individuals benefitted from hygiene promotion activities.
4,500 individuals benefitted from rehabilitation of water infrastructure and 3,400 individuals benefitted from rehabilitation of sanitation facilities.
Over 11,000 forced-returnees from KSA were registered, profiled and screened for vulnerabilities upon arrival. Among them, 197 vulnerable returnees were assisted with onward transportation allowance (OTA) and other assistances, as required.
500 refugees benefitted from transportation assistance within Ethiopia and 230 refugees departed Ethiopia for resettlement purposes.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following decades of civil war, a comprehensive peace agreement and the subsequent independence of South Sudan in 2011 prompted as many as two million refugees to return to the world’s youngest country. Many, however, were displaced again when internal conflict erupted in December 2013. A temporary reprieve following the signing of a peace agreement in 2015 enabled some to return to their homes, but conflict soon flared up again. A revitalised peace agreement was signed in 2018, but it is unclear whether the latest wave of returns will this time prove sustainable.
This study, which forms part of IDMC’s Invisible Majority thematic series, examines the relationship between internal displacement, cross-border movements and durable solutions in South Sudan. Based on more than 200 interviews in Bentiu and Juba, it arrives at the following key findings.
Multiple waves of violence have triggered repeated displacements
Over three-quarters of the research participants said they had been displaced more than once. Many returned to their places of origin only to be displaced again during a subsequent outbreak of violence. The lack of safe alternatives within South Sudan has forced many to seek refuge abroad, often after being internally displaced.
More than 80 per cent of the returning refugees surveyed had been internally displaced people (IDPs) before they left the country.
Security improvements are not the only motive for return
Internal and cross-border returns have increased following the signing of the revitalised peace agreement. Security has improved somewhat, but this is not the only motive for return. Some refugees have returned because of recent political instability in Sudan. Poor living conditions in displacement are an important secondary motive. Many are hoping to regain their livelihoods, finding themselves unable to survive in displacement.
Many refugees return to a life of internal displacement
Predominantly because of insecurity, two-thirds of those who participated in this study were living outside their area of origin, including in protection of civilians sites (POCs). Others, along with many “returning” IDPs, live in temporary shelters because their homes have been destroyed.
POC sites provide essential protection, but more support is needed for those who return
Eighty per cent of the IDPs surveyed want to return to their area of origin, but only half think they will be able to within a year. Many are unwilling to return because they do not trust the revitalised peace agreement. POCs provide essential protection for those afraid of being targeted on ethnic grounds. Those who do choose to return are in significant need of support, which so far has not been forthcoming.
CHLOE SYDNEY
February 22nd marks the deadline for the formation of South Sudan’s transitional government of national unity, designed to unite president Salva Kiir and head of opposition Riek Machar. This is the latest in a series of deadlines. It is unclear whether this latest one will hold – and whether a transitional government of so-called national unity will truly put an end to the conflict.
The world’s youngest country descended into violence in December 2013, just two years after independence. The conflict sparked as a result of a political disagreement between president Kiir and former vice president Machar, whom the former accused of attempting a coup. The fighting rapidly took on ethnic lines. Over 1.3 million new displacements were recorded the following year.
“The war has divided people into government and opposition loyalists, and this has caused clashes between clans and ethnic groups, and deep poverty.”
– IDP, Bentiu Protection of Civilian site
2015 PEACE AGREEMENT
A peace agreement was signed in August 2015, foreseeing the creation of a transitional government uniting government and opposition forces. Machar delayed his return to the country’s capital because of unresolved questions regarding security, finally landing in Juba in April 2016 to be sworn back in as prime minister.
“Diplomats note gloomily that while his [Machar’s] return is the ‘best chance yet’, the deal imposed under intense international pressure only returns the country to the status quo that existed before his July 2013 sacking as vice-president, which precipitated the war.”
– The Guardian, April 2016
There were fears that Machar’s return to Juba could ignite further conflict, but the following months remained peaceful. Until July. On July 8th, heavy fighting broke out between government and opposition forces. The four days of fighting that ensued displaced around 36,000 people in the capital alone.
A ceasefire on July 11th put an end to the fighting in Juba – but not to sexual violence, which continued unabated. Meanwhile, conflict spread once more to the rest of the country, including previously peaceful areas such as the Equatorias.
Women do not move freely for fear of rape and torture, especially during late evening hours.”
– IDP, Rubkona
2018 PEACE AGREEMENT
A new peace agreement was signed in September 2018, again setting the stage for the formation of a transitional government of national unity. Initially set for May 2019, the deadline was extended to November after the warring political parties failed to form a government, and a further one hundred-day extension was granted when unresolved disputes once more jeopardised the arrangement.
“This avoids the worst, even if it falls short of providing a clear path to resolving the outstanding issues. The regional mediators must step up at the highest levels to move the peace process forward.”
- Alan Boswell, International Crisis Group
Some progress has been made. The government has accepted to revert back to the former ten-state structure, having unilaterally increased the number of states to 28 then 32 in an apparent attempt at ethnic gerrymandering. Although the addition of three administrative areas has been rejected by the opposition, there are hopes that a compromise may be reached. Security arrangements such as cantonment, demilitarisation and the formation of a national army, however, have yet to be agreed upon, leading to fears of a repeat of July 2016.
If this third deadline is respected and Kiir and Machar unite in government, it will be the third time they attempt to share power. In the meantime, over 380,000 people are thought to have lost their lives. Almost 1.5 million people were living in internal displacement in South Sudan as of August 2019, and a further 2.2 million have sought refuge abroad. Let’s hope that this third attempt will prove more successful.
FIND OUT MORE
To find out more about displacement in South Sudan, read our latest report “Tired of Running”: Displacement and premature returns in South Sudan.
Over 5 million displaced in DR Congo as violence continues in the east
Civilians in the Beni region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to flee ongoing atrocities perpetrated by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and various armed militias. According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 100,000 people have fled from violence in Beni over the past two months, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the DRC to more than 5.1 million, making it the largest displacement crisis in Africa. More than half of those displaced are children.
Attacks by the ADF and other armed groups on civilians in Beni increased following the launch of a government offensive on 30 October 2019. Since then the Kivu Security Project has documented that at least 393 civilians have been killed in massacres perpetrated by the ADF. Those fleeing the violence have reported mass killings conducted with machetes, as well as sexual violence and abductions perpetrated by the armed group.
The ADF was originally formed in Uganda – with support from several rebel factions and Islamist-inspired armed groups – and has operated along DRC’s border for more than 20 years. The group has a history of attacking villages in North Kivu and targeting civilians in retaliation for government offensives. The ADF is suspected of killing more than 1,000 civilians since October 2014 while perpetrating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. The government’s latest military offensive was prompted by frequent ADF attacks on medical facilities involved in combatting an Ebola outbreak that has gripped the Beni region since August 2018.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, visited the DRC during January and highlighted the abuses perpetrated by armed groups in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. High Commissioner Bachelet asserted that, “there has been a sort of normalization of atrocities and sexual violence, and an acceptance of poverty and deprivation, that has been devastating for the population.” She urged donors to increase their support, warning that there is “an increasingly fatalistic approach that this is just how it is, and how it will continue to be. This attitude is unjust, and it is wrong.”
The DRC security forces and the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) must keep civilian protection at the center of their joint campaign to eradicate the ADF. All attacks on civilians should be thoroughly investigated and any captured ADF fighters should be held accountable for atrocities perpetrated against the local population. While sustaining efforts to improve security and protect civilians in the eastern DRC, international donors should also support the urgent funding appeal to help millions of displaced civilians in IDP camps and host communities in the eastern provinces.
At least 22 people, including 14 children, massacred in Cameroon
On Friday, 14 February, at least 22 people, including 14 children and a pregnant woman, were killed following a clash between government forces and armed separatists in the Ngarbuh district of Ntumbo, in north-west Cameroon. Government forces were blamed for the massacre, but on 17 February the army denied the allegations, referring to the event as an “unfortunate accident” caused by a fuel explosion during a firefight with armed separatists and a “collateral result of security operations in the region.”
Deadly clashes between the security forces and armed separatists, as well as attacks on Anglophone villages, increased ahead of the country’s 9 February parliamentary and municipal elections. As a result, according to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 8,000 people have fled to Nigeria during the past two weeks. Since 2016, more than 530,000 people have also been internally displaced by the conflict in the disputed Angophone regions of north-west and south-west Cameroon.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the Ngarbuh massacre as “a shocking episode” in the ongoing conflict. In a statement on Monday 17 February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called upon the government “to conduct an investigation and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
There is no viable military solution to the ongoing conflict in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. Government forces and armed separatists must immediately end all extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians and ensure that the human rights of all Cameroonians are equally protected, regardless of language, cultural identity or political affiliation. The Government should accept the UN Secretary-General’s offer to help mediate an end to the deadly conflict.
Crimes against children condemned on International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers
Last Wednesday, 12 February, was the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, or “Red Hand Day.” Recruitment and use of children is one of the UN’s six “grave violations” against children and, according to the Rome Statute, enlisting, conscripting and using children under the age of 15 in an armed conflict is a war crime. Despite some progress in recent years, tens of thousands of vulnerable children are still used in armed conflicts around the world where they are often exposed to various human rights violations, including killing, maiming, sexual violence and abduction.
The UN Secretary-General’s 2019 report on children and armed conflict documented more than 6,700 new cases of recruitment and use of children during 2018, including in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan and Yemen. The countries with the highest number of new cases of child recruitment were Somalia (2,300) and Nigeria (1,947). In Syria the UN verified the recruitment and use of more than 800 children, 94 percent of whom were used in combat roles. Although more than 13,600 children were released by parties to conflicts during the year, comprehensive reintegration of former child soldiers remains a huge challenge.
Coinciding with the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, the UN Security Council held a briefing on children and armed conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the plight of the estimated 250 million children living in countries affected by conflict and asserted that “children may be subjected to horrific abuses in war zones,” which “cause lasting damage to children themselves, and to their communities and societies. They can feed the grievances and frustrations that lead to extremism, creating a vicious circle of tension and violence.” The Secretary-General also launched the UN’s “Practical guidance for mediators to protect children in situations of armed conflict.”
All UN member states should adopt and implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. States should also endorse the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. The international community should relentlessly pursue those who use child soldiers and commit crimes against children, including via the International Criminal Court.
