The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has welcomed the decision by the United Nations Security Council to renew its peacekeeping mandate until 15 March 2019 with the passing of Resolution 2406.

Since the outbreak of civil war in 2013, UNMISS has remained committed to working with the people of South Sudan to end the conflict and build durable peace so that families can return to their homes to live safely and with dignity.

Currently, UNMISS has approximately 18,000 personnel serving at 17 locations across the country. More than 15,000 of these personnel are uniformed (about 13,500 troops and 1,500 police officers). More than 2,600 are civilian staff working in diverse areas such as human rights, logistics, child protection, gender, political and civil affairs. The Mission also has the largest number of UN Volunteers, with 387 currently serving in South Sudan.

Resolution 2406 requires UNMISS to continue its work to protect civilians, both internally displaced people who have sought sanctuary within protection sites next to UN bases and civilians more broadly through the proactive deployment of its peacekeeping troops across South Sudan. The Mission will continue to facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and to monitor, investigate and report on human rights.

The new mandate authorizes UNMISS to support the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement and current peace processes, including through the High Level Revitalization Forum.

The resolution maintains the overall force levels of UNMISS, with a ceiling of 17,000 troops, including the Regional Protection Force (RPF). The role of the RPF is extended from its previous focus largely on duties within the capital Juba and surrounding areas to assisting in the improvement of security within communities in other parts of the country as necessary. This decision acknowledges the changed security environment in Juba since the initial Security Council decision approving the deployment of the RPF.

Resolution 2406 also mandates UNMISS to work proactively to provide technical assistance or advice to government institutions and civil society actors on international humanitarian law, investigation and United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)

Media & Spokesperson Unit Press Releaseprosecution of sexual and gender- based violence, in compliance with the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy, in order to strengthen protection of civilians and promotion of human rights in South Sudan.

UNMISS welcomes the new mandate and remains committed to working with the people of South Sudan to protect civilians and build durable peace.

Communications & Public Information Section Acting Spokesperson Hiroyuki Saito +211 912 067 453 or saitoh@un.org

• Total number of refugees*: 771,376

• Pre-Dec 2013 refugees: 352,462

• Total arrivals in 2018: 10,342

• Total arrivals in Feb 2018: 4,572

• Post-Dec 2013 refugees: 418,914

*Additional sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan; however, data requires verification.

Funding required: $23.18 B
Funding received: $936.6 M
Funding percentage: 3.8%
People in need: 128.8 M
People to receive aid: 93.6 MCountries affected: 35

• In February 2018 four humanitarian response plans already announced in the GHO 2018 were officially launched: these were for Burundi, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria. In addition, the 2018 Regional Refugee Response Plan for Burundi was published in February. Prior to the launch of the Ethiopia Humanitarian and Disaster Resilience Plan (HDRP) in March, and to ensure gaps in funding were being addressed while the HDRP was being finalized, a Humanitarian Prioritization Document for 2018 was released in February. This document indicated that $242.2 million is urgently required to address critical gaps for the coming six months. A plan highlighting the humanitarian situation induced by drought in Mauritania was also issued in February.

• As at 28 February 2018, UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) and the Syria 3RP Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan require $24.41 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of 128.8 million crisis-affected people in 26 countries.

• According to FTS, appeals were funded at $936.6 million or 4% of requirements on 28 February 2018. For real time updates on incoming funds, see fts.unocha.org

• After seven years of conflict, civilians in Syria continue to bear the brunt of a conflict marked by suffering, destruction and disregard for human life. 13.1 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 5.6 million people who are in acute need. Some 11.6 million people have had to flee their homes, including 5.5 million who have fled across the border into neighboring countries. Continued fighting and bureaucratic restrictions limit access to those in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, particularly in eastern Ghouta where hundreds have reportedly been killed over recent weeks. While access remains difficult across conflict lines, the UN and its partners continue to reach millions of people every month through its regular programming and from across borders. Funding for these operations remains critical: the 2018 humanitarian response for Syria asks for $3.5 billion to meet the needs of all Syrians throughout the country. At the same time, it is critical to sustain and reinforce international support to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, who host large refugee populations. A further $4.4 billion has been appealed for to support 5.5 million refugees in the region.

• Securing full funding for the 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP) is currently a top priority: after three years of conflict, conditions in Yemen are catastrophic. A record 22.2 million people need humanitarian assistance or protection – including 8.4 million who are severely food insecure. About 400,000 children under age 5 are severely malnourished and ten times likelier to die without treatment than healthy children. Some 2 million people remain displaced – 90% of whom fled their homes more than a year ago. Nearly 1.1 million suspected cases of cholera have been reported since April 2017 in what experts have called the world’s worst outbreak of the disease. An estimated 3 million women and girls in Yemen are at risk of gender-based violence.

• In February, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed they would transfer $930 million by 31 March towards the 2018 YHRP.
  Other donors have also stepped forward, with total pledges and funding to date amounting to about one-third of the entire appeal. On 3 April, the Secretary-General will convene a pledging conference in Geneva hosted by Sweden and Switzerland where all donors will have an opportunity to work together to provide the remaining resources needed for this response.

• Urgent funding is required to sustain and scale up life-saving assistance to vulnerable people in Mali. The 2018 HRP for Mali aims to provide life-saving aid for 1.56 million of the most vulnerable people among 4.1 million people exposed to deteriorating security conditions and a looming food and nutrition crisis; poor rains in 2017 have precipitated a lean season. Over 795,000 people require immediate food assistance, a figure expected to rise to 1.5 million people by June 2018. Over 460,000 people will be deprived of life-saving food assistance if funds are not forthcoming and if UNICEF doesn’t receive $15 million with which to treat severe acute malnutrition, 274,000 children will be placed at risk of death.

• For information on urgent funding needs in DPRK, Burundi, CAR, Ukraine and Cameroon, click on the icon on page 2 of this update.

• In all, $80.8 million have been allocated through CERF in 2018, including $77.4 million in rapid response and $3.4 million in underfunded emergency grants. In February, $49.9 million was disbursed to agencies in Yemen following the USG announcement in January. $19.7 million were allocated through the rapid response window to support key aspects of the L3 operational plans in DRC. The funds will have a direct and catalytic impact on the scale-up of the response and operational capacity in the L3 areas to deliver a more coordinated and informed response by supporting enhanced coordination and information management capacity at the provincial hubs, joint assessments and analysis, common logistics and air services, as well as rapid multi-sectoral assistance for more than 400,000 people within the food, WASH, shelter/NFIs, health and protection sectors. CERF also supported the scale-up of refugee response activities in neighboring Uganda and Zambia where tens of thousands of people have fled the violence in DRC. The First Underfunded Emergencies Round of 2018 is ongoing through March with $100 million in the approval process for nine countries. Grants totaling some $3.4 million were approved in February for Tanzania, Mali and Eritrea.

• Contributions (including pledges) to country-based pooled funds (CBPFs) have reached $161 million in the first two months of 2018, with nine donors committing funds to 17 CBPFs. The Humanitarian Funds for the whole-of-Syria response ($30 million), Sudan ($24.5 million), Democratic Republic of Congo ($20.6 million) and Afghanistan ($16.8 million) have received funds and pledges for the largest amounts to fund urgent humanitarian activities. The majority of CBPF funds have been allocated to NGOs, with 49.5 per cent going to international NGOs and 12.5 per cent to national NGOs. Allocations have been made in Afghanistan and occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Funds, filling critical gaps for 140,000 of the most vulnerable Palestinians, due to cuts in UNRWA funding. The Turkey Humanitarian Fund called for a First Reserve Allocation for 2018 for $15 million, to meet life-saving needs of newly displaced people following the recent surge of violence in north-west Syria, proposed projects for which are currently under final review.

SC/13249
15 MARCH 2018
SECURITY COUNCIL
8204TH MEETING (AM)

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 15 March 2019, demanding that parties end the fighting and signalling its intention to consider all measures, including an arms embargo, against those obstructing peace in the war-torn nation.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2406 (2018) under the United Nations Charter’s Chapter VII, the Council maintained overall UNMISS force levels at the troop ceiling of 17,000 — which includes a Regional Protection Force of up to 4,000 troops — and the police ceiling of 2,101 personnel.

By other terms, the Council demanded that South Sudan’s leaders implement the permanent ceasefire declared in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, and other ceasefires for which they respectively called on 11 July 2016 and 22 May 2017.

To support the peace process, UNMISS would use its good offices and participate in the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism, with its Regional Protection Force authorized to use robust action to facilitate safe and free movement around Juba. More broadly, UNMISS would work to protect civilians, create conditions conducive to aid delivery and both monitor and investigate human rights abuses.

The Council extended the UNMISS mandate for three months on 14 December 2017, with its adoption of resolution 2392 (2017). (See Press Release SC/13119.)

Moum Majak Ngor Malok (South Sudan) welcomed the mandate renewal, but lamented that the Council had chosen to politicize a peacekeeping resolution. “There is a need to bridge the discrepancy between the primary responsibility of the State and the complementary support of the international community,” he said.

He acknowledged that South Sudan was violently divided, but the leadership had been popularly elected. While it was practical to be connected to both parties, and to foster national consensus, the United Nations should work in collaboration with the Government. “It is one thing to condemn the leadership of the country and another to threaten the imposition of an arms embargo and sanctions,” which would only generate an adversarial relationship, he said.

The only solution to the conflict was through a political process, he went on to say, in which the President had already made numerous compromises. UNMISS and the country team should discuss with the Government ways to use their strategic understanding as a basis for reaching out to the armed opposition. The conflict was political, not ethnic, in nature. Reports of genocide only instilled fear and the use of moral equivalence had only emboldened other armed groups.

He cited an ongoing judicial process to address the “Terrain” incident and efforts to address fees and taxes on non-governmental organizations as evidence of South Sudan’s commitment, stressing: “The situation calls for cooperation as opposed to confrontation.”

The meeting began at 10:07 a.m. and ended at 10:19 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 2406 (2018) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its previous resolutions 1996 (2011), 2046 (2012), 2057 (2012), 2109 (2013), 2132 (2013), 2155 (2014), 2187 (2014), 2206 (2015), 2223 (2015), 2241 (2015), 2252 (2015), 2302 (2016), 2304 (2016), 2327 (2016), and 2392 (2017), and statements by its President S/PRST/2014/16, S/PRST/2014/26, S/PRST/2015/9, S/PRST/2016/1, S/PRST/2016/3, S/PRST/2017/4 and S/PRST/2017/25,

“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity of the Republic of South Sudan, and recalling the importance of the principles of non-interference, good-neighbourliness, and regional cooperation,

“Reiterating its increasingly grave alarm and concern regarding the political, security, economic, and humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, and subsequent violence caused by the country’s political and military leaders since December 2013, and emphasizing there can be no military solution to the situation in South Sudan,

“Expressing deep alarm over the increasing scope of the violence across the country, strongly condemning armed clashes and violence involving the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), SPLA-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), SPLA-IO (Taban), and armed groups, further condemning in the strongest terms the ongoing fighting in violation of the 21 December 2017 ‘Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians, and Humanitarian Access’ (ACOH), welcoming the rapid assessment of these violations by the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM), and encouraging the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to share reports with the Security Council rapidly,

“Deeply regretting that the parties have disregarded its Presidential Statements of 23 March 2017 and 14 December 2017, most notably the provisions on adhering to a permanent ceasefire and allowing the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, and recalling the 4 September 2016 Joint Communique by the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan and United Nations Security Council Members and regretting its lack of implementation by the Government of South Sudan,

“Welcoming the commitment and efforts of IGAD, the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), African Union (AU), African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and the United Nations (UN) to continue engaging with South Sudanese leaders to address the current crisis, and encouraging their continued and proactive engagement,

“Taking note of the 2015 ‘Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan’, IGAD-led High-Level Revitalization Forum for the Agreement, and the ACOH, calling on South Sudanese parties to demonstrate the political will to peacefully resolve the conflict, and stressing that the IGAD High-Level Revitalization Forum is a unique window of opportunity, but equally a last chance for the parties to achieve sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan, and noting that timelines for the implementation schedule of the Agreement should be amended to reflect the need to create an environment conducive to post-transition elections,

“Taking note of the communiqués of the 12 June 2017 31st Extraordinary Summit of the IGAD Assembly Heads of State and Government, the 20 September 2017 Ministerial of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the 60th Extraordinary Session of IGAD Council of Ministers on the Situation in South Sudan, and the 8 February 2018 African Union Peace and Security Council meeting on the Status on the Revitalization Process for the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, as well as the 12 January Joint Statement by the Chairperson of the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the Situation in South Sudan and the 27 January 2018 AU, IGAD and the UN Consultative Meeting on the Republic of South Sudan Joint Statement, and further taking note that the AU, IGAD, and the United Nations Security Council demanded that parties that violate the ACOH must be held accountable,

“Recalling its 14 December 2017 Presidential Statement that there must be costs and consequences for those who undermine the High Level Revitalization Forum process and to that end, further recalling that individuals or entities responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security or stability of South Sudan, may be designated for targeted sanctions pursuant to resolution 2206 (2015), 2271 (2016), 2280 (2016), 2290 (2016), and 2353 (2017), including individuals who engage in attacks against United Nations missions, international security presences, or other peacekeeping operations, or humanitarian personnel and recalling its willingness to impose targeted sanctions,

“Commending the work of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and stressing the importance of effective engagement and liaison with local communities, as well as humanitarian actors, including through regular communication about the UNMISS mandate, including its planned actions and capacities, security threats and related information, both within and outside the Protection of Civilians sites, in order to fulfil UNMISS’s Protection of Civilians mandate,

“Recognizing that unarmed civilian protection can often complement efforts to build a protective environment, particularly in the deterrence of sexual and gender-based violence against civilians, and encouraging UNMISS, as appropriate and when possible, to explore how it can use civilian protection techniques to enhance its ability to protect civilians,

“Recognizing the dire humanitarian situation and high levels of food insecurity in many parts of the country, and in this regard noting the importance of UNMISS’ contribution to creating through coordination with humanitarian actors, displaced communities, and authorities the conditions for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, so that they may resume their livelihoods including the cultivation of land for food production,

“Strongly condemning the continued obstruction of UNMISS by the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) and opposition groups, including severe restrictions on freedom of movement, assault of UNMISS personnel, and constraints on mission operations, many of which were reported by the Secretary-General as violations of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by the TGNU,

“Demanding that all parties, particularly the TGNU and the SPLA-IO, end all obstructions to UNMISS, including inter alia carrying out its mandate to monitor and investigate human rights,

“Recalling its strong condemnation of all instances of attacks against civilians, including violence against women, children, and persons in vulnerable situations, ethnically targeted violence, hate speech, and incitements to violence, and further expressing deep concern at the possibility that what began as a political conflict could continue to transform into an outright ethnic war, as noted by the Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng,

“Strongly condemning all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those involving extrajudicial killings, ethnically targeted violence, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, recruitment and use of children, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, violence aimed at spreading terror among the civilian population, targeting of members of civil society, and attacks on schools, places of worship, hospitals, medical facilities and transport, United Nations and associated personnel, and humanitarian personnel, by all parties, including armed groups and national security forces, as well as the incitement to commit such abuses and violations, further condemning harassment, targeting, and censorship of civil society, humanitarian personnel and journalists and emphasizing that those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights must be held accountable, and that South Sudan’s TGNU bears the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,

“Taking note of the UNMISS and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report on the Freedom of Expression in South Sudan, condemning the use of media to broadcast hate speech and transmit messages instigating violence against a particular ethnic group, a practice that has the potential to play a significant role in promoting mass violence and exacerbating conflict, and calling on the Government of South Sudan to immediately condemn and counter increasing hate speech and ethnic violence and to promote reconciliation among its people, including through a process of justice and accountability,

“Expressing grave concern at the findings of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict of the systematic and widespread use of sexual violence as a tactic by parties to the conflict against the civilian population, particularly against women and girls in South Sudan,

“Stressing the urgent need to end impunity in South Sudan and to hold accountable and bring to justice all perpetrators for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, and further stressing the importance of accountability, reconciliation and healing in ending impunity and ensuring a sustainable peace, and in this regard, sharing the concern of the AUPSC about the delays in establishing the Hybrid Court for South Sudan,

“Taking note with interest of the reports on the human rights situation in South Sudan issued by UNMISS and the Secretary-General, as well as the report of the AU Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and the Separate Opinion, expressing grave concern that according to some reports, including the AU Commission of Inquiry report on South Sudan, released on 27 October 2015, there were reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed and the report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, released on 23 February 2018 that war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed, emphasizing its hope that these and other credible reporting will be duly considered by any transitional justice and reconciliation mechanisms for South Sudan including those established in the Agreement, stressing the importance of collection and preservation of evidence for eventual use by the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and encouraging efforts in this regard,

“Expressing serious and urgent concern over the more than four million displaced persons and deepening humanitarian crisis, including an estimated 5.3 million that face severe food insecurity according to the January 2018 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, which reflects a 40 percent increase from January 2017, and seven million in need of life-saving assistance, and that half of the country’s children are out of school, stressing the responsibility borne by all parties to the conflict for the immense suffering of the people of South Sudan, including the destruction or damage to livelihoods and productive assets, commending United Nations humanitarian agencies, partners, and donors for their efforts to provide urgent and coordinated support to the population, and calling upon the international community to continue these efforts to meet the growing humanitarian needs of the people of South Sudan,

“Condemning the obstructions by all parties to civilians’ movement and to humanitarian actors’ movement to reach civilians in need of assistance, expressing concern at the increasing ad hoc legislation, new taxes, and permits which are hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance across the country, and recalling the need for all parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate, in accordance with relevant provisions of international law and United Nations guiding principles of humanitarian assistance, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence, the full, safe and unhindered access of relief personnel, equipment and supplies and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance, to all those in need, in particular to IDPs, and refugees,

“Condemning all attacks against humanitarian personnel and facilities that resulted in the deaths of at least 98 personnel since December 2013, including the attack on the Terrain compound on 11 July 2016 and attacks against medical personnel and hospitals, noting with alarm the increasing trend of harassment and intimidation of humanitarian personnel, and recalling that attacks against humanitarian personnel and objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population may amount to violations of international humanitarian law,

“Expressing its deep appreciation for the actions taken by UNMISS peacekeepers and Troop- and Police-Contributing Countries in implementing the UNMISS mandate in a challenging environment, including in protecting civilians, including foreign nationals, under threat of physical violence and to stabilize the security situation within and beyond UNMISS sites, and stressing that any national caveat that negatively affects the implementation of mandate effectiveness should not be accepted by the Secretary-General, and further highlighting that lack of effective command and control, refusal to obey orders, failure to respond to attacks on civilians, inadequate equipment, and financial resources may adversely affect the shared responsibility for effective mandate implementation,

“Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General to enforce strictly his zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, noting the various measures taken by UNMISS and troop- and police-contributing countries to combat sexual exploitation and abuse, but still expressing grave concern over recent allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse reportedly committed by peacekeepers in South Sudan, stressing the urgent need for troop- and police-contributing countries and, as appropriate, UNMISS, to promptly investigate those allegations in a credible and transparent manner and for those responsible for such criminal offences or misconduct to be held to account, and further stressing the need to prevent such exploitation and abuse and to improve how these allegations are addressed in line with resolution 2272 (2016),

“Recognizing the significant resource and capacity challenges UNMISS faces in implementing its mandate, expressing appreciation for UNMISS’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of IDPs seeking protection on its sites, while recognizing the importance of finding sustainable solutions for IDPs in keeping with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, and underlining in this regard the need to extend its presence, including through proactive deployment and patrolling, to areas of displacement, return, and local integration,

“Emphasizing that persistent barriers to full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and subsequent resolutions on women, peace, and security including resolution 2242 (2015), will only be dismantled through dedicated commitment to women’s empowerment, participation, and human rights, concerted leadership, consistent information and action, and support, to build women’s engagement in all levels of decision-making, and through ensuring that the full and effective participation and involvement of women in all spheres and levels of the political and peace process,

“Expressing grave concern regarding the threats made to oil installations, petroleum companies and their employees, and urging all parties to ensure the security of economic infrastructure, condemning attacks on oil installations, petroleum companies and their employees, and any fighting around these facilities, and urging all parties to ensure the security of economic infrastructure,

“Recalling its resolution 2117 (2013) and expressing grave concern at the threat to peace and security in South Sudan arising from the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons,

“Strongly condemning the attacks by government and opposition forces and other groups on United Nations and IGAD personnel and facilities, including the December 2012 downing of a United Nations helicopter by the SPLA, the April 2013 attack on a United Nations convoy, the December 2013 attack on the UNMISS camp in Akobo, the August 2014 shooting down of a United Nations helicopter by unidentified armed groups, the August 2014 arrest and detention of an IGAD monitoring and verification team, the October 2015 seizure and detention of UNMISS personnel and equipment in Upper Nile State by opposition forces, the February 2016 attack on the Malakal protection of civilians site, the July 2016 attack on the Juba protection of civilians site, and the Terrain Compound attack, the detention and kidnappings of United Nations and associated personnel, the repeated attacks on the UNMISS camps in Bor, Bentiu, Malakal and Melut, and the disappearance purportedly caused by SPLA forces, and deaths of three United Nations-affiliated national staff and one national contractor in Upper Nile State, and calling upon the Government of South Sudan to complete its investigations of these attacks in a swift and thorough manner and to hold those responsible to account,

“Taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General pursuant to resolution 2304 (2016) paragraphs 16 and 18, and of resolution 2327 (2016) paragraphs 31 and 32, and the recommendations contained therein,

“Determining that the situation in South Sudan continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1. Demands that all parties immediately end the fighting throughout South Sudan, and further demands that South Sudan’s leaders implement the permanent ceasefire declared in the Agreement and ceasefires for which they respectively called on 11 July 2016 and 22 May 2017, as well as the ACOH signed on 21 December 2017, and ensure that subsequent decrees and orders directing their commanders control their forces and protect civilians and their property are fully implemented;

“2. Demands that the TGNU of South Sudan comply with the obligations set out in the SOFA between the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations, and immediately cease obstructing UNMISS in the performance of its mandate, and further demands the TGNU immediately cease obstructing international and national humanitarian actors from assisting civilians, and facilitate freedom of movement for the CTSAMM and calls on the TGNU to take action, to deter, and to hold those responsible to account for any hostile or other actions that impede UNMISS or international and national humanitarian actors;

“3. Expresses its intention to consider all appropriate measures, as demonstrated by adoption of resolutions 2206 (2015), 2290 (2016), and 2353 (2017) against those who take actions that undermine the peace, stability, and security of South Sudan, stresses the sanctity of United Nations protection sites, specifically underscores that individuals or entities that are responsible or complicit in, or have engaged in, directly or indirectly, attacks against UNMISS personnel and premises and any humanitarian personnel, may meet the designation criteria, and in this regard takes note of the 20 February 2018 Special Report of the Secretary-General on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (S/2018/143) that the steady re-supply of weapons and ammunition to South Sudan has directly affected the safety of UN personnel and UNMISS’s ability to carry out its mandate, takes note of the AUPSC’s 8 February 2018 communique which states that signatories to the ACOH should be deprived of the means to continue fighting, and further expresses its intention to consider all measures, including an arms embargo, as appropriate, to deprive the parties of the means to continue fighting and to prevent violations of the ACOH;

“4. Commends the 18 October 2017 report by JMEC Chairperson Festus Mogae on the Status of Implementation of the Agreement for the period November 2015 to September 2017, condemns the lack of progress in implementing key provisions of the Agreement, especially those related to the permanent ceasefire, underscores that without a ceasefire and a fully inclusive peace process the implementation of certain other provisions of the Agreement, including constitution-making and post-transition elections, should not take place, notes the importance of the full and effective participation of youth, women, diverse communities, faith groups, and civil society in the peace process, and calls upon all parties to ensure women’s full and effective representation and leadership in all conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts;

“5. Decides to extend the mandate of UNMISS until 15 March 2019;

“6. Decides to maintain the overall force levels of UNMISS with a troop ceiling of 17,000 troops, which includes a Regional Protection Force at levels to be set by the Secretary-General but not to exceed 4,000, and maintaining the police ceiling of 2,101 police personnel, including individual police officers, formed police units and 78 corrections officers, requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to expedite force and asset generation, further takes note with interest of the Secretary-General’s intention to conduct a military and police capability study, and expresses its readiness to consider making the necessary adjustments on this basis to UNMISS including its Regional Protection Force;

“7. Decides that the mandate of UNMISS shall be as follows, and authorizes UNMISS to use all necessary means to perform the following tasks:

(a) Protection of civilians:

(i) To protect civilians under threat of physical violence, irrespective of the source of such violence, within its capacity and areas of deployment, with specific protection for women and children, including through the continued use of the Mission’s Child Protection and Women Protection Advisers;

(ii) To deter violence against civilians, including foreign nationals, especially through proactive deployment, active patrolling with particular attention to IDPs, including, but not limited to, those in protection sites and refugee camps, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders, and identification of threats and attacks against civilians, including through regular interaction with civilians and working closely with humanitarian, human rights and development organizations, in areas at high risk of conflict including, as appropriate, schools, places of worship, hospitals, and the oil installations, in particular when the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is unable or failing to provide such security;

(iii) To implement a mission-wide early warning strategy, including a coordinated approach to information gathering, monitoring, verification, early warning and dissemination, and response mechanisms, including response mechanisms to threats and attacks against civilians that may involve violations and abuses of human rights or violations of international humanitarian law, as well as to prepare for further potential attacks on United Nations personnel and facilities;

(iv) To maintain public safety and security of and within UNMISS protection-of-civilians sites;

(v) To deter and prevent sexual and gender-based violence within its capacity and areas of deployment, as highlighted in paragraph 41 of the Special Report of the Secretary-General of 10 November 2016 (S/2016/951);

(vi) To exercise good offices, confidence-building, and facilitation in support of the mission’s protection strategy, especially in regard to women and children, including to facilitate the prevention, mitigation, and resolution of inter‑communal conflict [through, inter alia, mediation] in order to foster sustainable local and national reconciliation as an essential part of preventing violence and long-term State-building activity;

(vii) To foster a secure environment for the eventual safe, voluntary, and dignified, return of IDPs and refugees including through monitoring of, ensuring respect for human rights by, and where compatible and in strict compliance with the United Nations Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP), coordination with police services, security and government institutions, and civil society actors in relevant and protection-focused activities, such as sensitization to issues of sexual and gender-based violence and children and armed conflict as well as technical assistance or advice, within existing resources, on international humanitarian law, investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence, as well as other serious human rights violations, in order to strengthen protection of civilians;

(b) Creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance:

(i) To contribute, in close coordination with humanitarian actors, to the creation of security conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, so as to allow, the rapid, safe and unhindered access of relief personnel to all those in need in South Sudan and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance, in particular to IDPs and refugees, recalling the need for compliance with the relevant provisions of international law and respect for the UN guiding principles of humanitarian assistance, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence;

(ii) To ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel where appropriate, and to ensure the security of its installations and equipment necessary for implementation of mandated tasks;

(c) Monitoring, and investigating human rights:

(i) To monitor, investigate, verify, and report immediately, publicly, and regularly on abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity;

(ii) To monitor, investigate, verify and report specifically and publicly on violations and abuses committed against children and women, including those involving all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict by accelerating the implementation of monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence and by strengthening the monitoring and reporting mechanism for violations and abuses against children;

(iii) To monitor, investigate and report on incidents of hate speech and incitement to violence in cooperation with the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide;

(iv) To coordinate with, share appropriate information with, and provide technical support to international, regional, and national mechanisms engaged in monitoring, investigating, and reporting violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses, including those that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, as appropriate;

(d) Supporting the Implementation of the Agreement and the Peace Process:

“To carry out, within its capabilities, the following tasks in support of the implementation of the Agreement and peace process:

(i) Using good offices to support the peace process, in particular the High-Level Revitalization Forum for the Agreement;

(ii) Participating in and supporting the CTSAMM in implementation of its ceasefire monitoring and verification mandate, including through facilitating and supporting the CTSAMM in its implementation of monitoring and reporting of violations and overall effectiveness in identifying those responsible for these violations;

(iii) Actively participating in and supporting the work of the JMEC;

“8. Stresses that the peace process only remains viable with the full commitment by all parties, urges all the parties to participate in the peace process in good faith in order to reach the compromises necessary for the peace and stability of South Sudan, reminds the parties that UNMISS shall only undertake those tasks related to the peace process as described in paragraph 7(d); and notes its intention to keep the tasks and composition of UNMISS under active review, based on the possible outcomes of the High Level Revitalization Forum;

“9. To advance in cooperation with the TGNU the safety and security of the people of South Sudan and to create an enabling environment for implementation of the Agreement, decides that UNMISS shall continue to include a Regional Protection Force (RPF), recalls that per resolution 2304 (2016) the RPF has the responsibility of providing a secure environment in and around Juba and in other parts of South Sudan as necessary, and authorizes the RPF to use all necessary means, including undertaking robust action where necessary and actively patrolling, to accomplish the RPF mandate, to:

(i) Facilitate the conditions for safe and free movement into, out of, and around Juba, including through protecting the means of ingress and egress from the city and major lines of communication and transport within Juba;

(ii) Protect the airport to ensure the airport remains operational, and protect key facilities in Juba essential to the well-being of the people of Juba, as identified by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General;

(iii) Promptly and effectively engage any actor that is credibly found to be preparing attacks, or engages in attacks, against United Nations protection-of-civilians sites, other United Nations premises, United Nations personnel, international and national humanitarian actors, or civilians;

“10. Affirms the critical importance of the ability of UNMISS to use all of its bases without restrictions in order to execute its mandate including, but not limited to, its base in Tomping and in this regard, calls on the Government of South Sudan to uphold its obligations to guarantee UNMISS unimpeded access to United Nations premises per the SOFA;

“11. Recalls its resolution 2086 (2013) and reaffirms the basic principles of peacekeeping, as set forth in Presidential Statement S/PRST/2015/22, including consent of the parties, impartiality, and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the mandate, recognizes that the mandate of each peacekeeping mission is specific to the need and situation of the country concerned, and that the Security Council expects full delivery of the mandates it authorizes;

“12. Emphasizes that protection of civilians must be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources within the mission, stresses that UNMISS’s mandate as set out in paragraphs 7 and 9 above includes authority to use all necessary means to protect United Nations personnel, installations and equipment to deter violence especially through proactive deployment and active patrolling including through regular interaction with civilians, to protect civilians from threats, regardless of source, to create conditions conducive to delivery of humanitarian assistance by international and national actors, and support implementation of the Agreement and peace process, and stresses that such actions include, but are not limited to, within UNMISS’s capacity and areas of deployment, defending protection of civilians sites, establishing areas around the sites that are not used for hostile purposes by any forces, including by extending weapons free zones to UNMISS protection of civilians sites where appropriate, addressing threats to the sites, searching individuals attempting to enter the sites, and seizing weapons from those inside or attempting to enter the sites, removing from and denying entry of armed actors to the protection of civilians sites, and welcomes in this regard the intention of the Secretary-General to conduct a military and police capability study, as expressed in paragraph 52 of (S/2018/143), noting the relevance of reviewing the current model for providing security to the POC sites;

“13. Requests and encourages the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to direct the operations of an integrated UNMISS and coordinate all activities of the United Nations system in South Sudan, and to exercise his or her good offices to lead the UN system in South Sudan in assisting the JMEC, the AU, IGAD and other actors, as well as the parties, with implementation of the Agreement and to promote peace and reconciliation, underscores in this regard the critical role of CTSAMM, as well as the importance of the support provided to it by UNMISS in delivering on its mandate, and reaffirms in this regard the critical role that the UN plays, in coordination with regional organizations and other actors, to advance political dialogue between parties and contribute to achieving an enduring cessation of hostilities and lead the parties to an inclusive peace process;

“14. Requests UNMISS to take fully into account gender considerations as a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate, reaffirms the importance of appropriate gender expertise and training in all missions mandated by the Security Council, and further encourages troop- and police-contributing Countries to take measures to increase the deployment of women in the military, police, and civilian components of the Mission;

“15. Requests UNMISS to continue to intensify its presence and active patrolling in areas of high risk of conflict, high concentrations of IDPs and refugees, including as guided by its early warning strategy, in all areas, and key routes for population movement, to extend its presence, including through proactive deployment and patrolling, to areas of displacement, return, resettlement, and reintegration, in order to foster a secure environment for the eventual safe and voluntary return of IDPs and refugees, and to conduct regular reviews of its geographic deployment to ensure that its forces are best placed to fulfil its mandate;

“16. Recognizes that the effective implementation of UNMISS mandate is the responsibility of all stakeholders and is contingent upon several critical factors, including well defined, realistic, and achievable mandates; political will, leadership, performance and accountability at all levels; adequate resources; policy, planning and operational guidelines and training; further recognizes that measuring and monitoring peacekeeping performance should be based on comprehensive and objective methodologies based on clear and well defined benchmarks; in this regard, and welcomes the initiatives undertaken by the Secretary-General to standardize a culture of performance in UN peacekeeping that operationalizes the Operational Readiness Assurance Policy, and conduct mission performance reviews of uniformed and civilian personnel, leverages the Peacekeeping Capabilities and Readiness System (PCRS) to ensure performance data informs decisions regarding peacekeepers deployment, and calls on him to continue his efforts in this regard;

“17. Recalls its Presidential Statement S/PRST/2015/22 and its resolution 2272 (2016) and requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to ensure full compliance of UNMISS with the United Nations zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to ensure that all personnel of the mission are vetted for history of sexual misconduct in the service with the United Nations and to keep it informed through his reports about UNMISS’s progress in this regard, and urges troop- and police-contributing countries to take appropriate preventative action including predeployment awareness training, and to promote full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;

“18. Requests UNMISS to ensure that any support provided to non-United Nations security forces is provided in strict compliance with the HRDDP on United Nations Support to non-United Nations security forces;

“19. Requests UNMISS to assist the Committee, within existing resources, established pursuant to paragraph 16 of resolution 2206 (2015) and the Panel of Experts established by the same resolution, further urges all parties and Member States, as well as international, regional and subregional organizations to ensure cooperation with the Panel of Experts and further urges all Member States involved to ensure the safety of the members of the Panel of Experts and unhindered access, in particular to persons, documents and sites in order for the Panel of Experts to execute its mandate;

“20. Condemns in the strongest terms attacks on and threats made to UNMISS personnel and United Nations facilities, as well as those of IGAD, stresses that such attacks may constitute violations of the SOFA and/or war crimes, demands that all parties respect the inviolability of United Nations premises and immediately desist and refrain from any violence against those gathered at United Nations facilities, reiterates that the TGNU is bound by the terms of the SOFA, and further demands the immediate and safe release of detained and kidnapped United Nations and associated personnel;

“21. Condemns the clash that took place in Malakal in February 2016 and the fighting in Juba in July 2016, and urges the UN to continuously incorporate lessons learned to conduct reforms across UNMISS to better enable it to implement its mandate, in particular regarding the protection of civilians, and to improve UNMISS chain of command, increase the effectiveness of UNMISS operations, strengthen safety and security of personnel, and enhance UNMISS’ ability to manage complex situations;

“22. Reiterates its request that UNMISS continue to take measures, as appropriate, to ensure the security of its air operations in South Sudan and report thereon to the Council;

“23. Condemns in the strongest terms attacks on and looting of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, and premises, including hospitals and medical facilities and warehouses, and demands that all parties allow, in accordance with relevant provisions of international law and United Nations guiding principles of emergency humanitarian assistance, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence, the rapid, safe and unhindered access of relief personnel, equipment and supplies, and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance, to all those in need throughout South Sudan in particular to IDPs and refugees, stresses the obligation to respect and protect all medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities, stresses also that any returns or other durable solutions for IDPs or refugees must be undertaken on a voluntary and informed basis in conditions of dignity and safety, and notes that freedom of movement of civilians and their right to seek asylum should be respected;

“24. Further demands that all parties immediately cease all forms of violence, human rights violations and abuses, violations of international humanitarian law, including rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, and hold perpetrators accountable, in order to break the prevailing cycle of impunity;

“25. Condemns all violations of applicable international law, including international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of international human rights committed by all parties to the conflict, in particular against children, strongly urges all parties to the conflict to implement the actions called for in The Conclusions on Children and Armed Conflict in South Sudan adopted by the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict on 8 May 2015, including the immediate release of all children in their ranks, welcomes the recent release of children by some groups, calls on all armed groups to swiftly release other children in their ranks, strongly urges the Government of South Sudan to fully and immediately implement all provisions to the recommitment agreement to the revised action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and other violations, signed with the UN on 24 June 2014, and further strongly urges the SPLA‑IO to fully and immediately implement its action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children and the killing and maiming of children signed with the UN on 7 January 2016, and underlines the importance of the Government of South Sudan providing timely and appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance to children affected by armed conflict, while ensuring that the specific needs of girls as well as children with disabilities are addressed, including access to health care, psychosocial support, and education programmes that contribute to the well-being of children and to sustainable peace and security, and calls on the international community to assist these efforts;

“26. Strongly urges the SPLA, SPLA-IO, and other armed groups to prevent further commission of sexual violence, urges the TGNU and the SPLA-IO to implement the joint and unilateral commitments and action plans they have made on preventing conflict-related sexual violence with focus on prevention, accountability, and enhancing assistance to victims, and strongly urges SPLA leadership to issue specific command orders regarding prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, and demands the TGNU show concrete steps to hold perpetrators within their ranks accountable for crimes of sexual violence;

“27. Underscores that truth-seeking and reconciliation is essential for achieving peace in South Sudan and in this regard stresses that the Commission of Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, as stipulated in the Agreement, is a critical part of the peacebuilding process in South Sudan, to spearhead efforts to achieve national cohesion, promote peace, national reconciliation and healing;

“28. Takes note of the steps taken by the African Union towards the setting up of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan as provided for under Chapter V of the Agreement, as well as the work done to date by the UN, welcomes the African Union’s formal invitation for the UN to provide technical assistance towards the setting up of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to make available technical assistance to the Commission of the African Union and to the TGNU in setting up the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and for the implementation of other aspects of Chapter V of the Agreement, including with regard to the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing;

“29. Takes note of the 8 February 2018 African Union Peace and Security Council communique and in this regard calls upon the Government of South Sudan to sign without further delay the Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, and further calls on the international community to extend support to establishing the Hybrid Court for South Sudan;

“30. Further calls upon the Government of South Sudan to move forward expeditiously and transparently to complete the ongoing investigations of allegations of human rights violations and abuses in a manner consistent with its international obligations, and encourages it to release the reports of those investigations;

“31. Further calls upon the Government of South Sudan, while taking note of paragraph 3.2.2 of Chapter V of the Agreement, to hold to account all those responsible for violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and to ensure that all victims of sexual violence have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice, and to safeguard equal respect for the rights of women and girls in these processes, and notes that implementing holistic transitional justice measures, including accountability, truth-seeking and reparations, are key to healing and reconciliation;

Reports

“32. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report violations of the SOFA or obstructions to UNMISS on a monthly basis;

“33. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council on implementation of the UNMISS mandate and the obstructions UNMISS encounters in doing so in a same comprehensive written report to be submitted within 90 days of the date of adoption of this resolution, every 90 days thereafter, and underscores that such reporting should include:

• reporting on progress in implementing the HRDDP,

• specific and detailed reporting on how UNMISS is working toward fulfilling its protection of civilian duties, including but not limited to troop responsiveness and performance and new patrol areas and proactive deployment,

• the consideration of gender as cross cutting throughout the mandate,

• the participation of women in peace processes,

• the steps taken to enhance the safety and security of UN personnel,

• the steps that have been taken to address performance concerns reflected in the reviews outlined in paragraph 16,

• strengthened reporting on human rights issues in South Sudan, and

• recommendations on the steps to adapt UNMISS to the situation on the ground;

“34. Requests the Secretary-General to report, through his regular 90-day reports, on the technical assistance provided consistent with paragraph 28 above, invites the African Union to share information on progress made in the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, with the Secretary-General to inform his report, and expresses the Security Council’s intention upon receipt of the Secretary-General’s reports to assess the work that has been done in the establishment of the Hybrid Court in line with international standards;

“35. Decides to remain seized of the matter.”

For information media. Not an official record.

PROJECTED FOOD ASSISTANCE NEEDS FOR SEPTEMBER 2018

This brief summarizes FEWS NET’s most forward-looking analysis of projected emergency food assistance needs in FEWS NET coverage countries. The projected size of each country’s acutely food insecure population (IPC Phase 3 and higher) is compared to last year and the recent five-year average and categorized as Higher (p), Similar (u), or Lower (q). Countries where external emergency food assistance needs are anticipated are identified. Projected lean season months highlighted in red indicate either an early start or an extension to the typical lean season. Additional information is provided for countries with large food insecure populations, an expectation of high severity, or where other key issues warrant additional discussion. Analytical confidence is lower in remote monitoring countries, denoted by “RM.” Visit www.fews.net for detailed country reports.

• The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a global norm, unanimously adopted by heads of state and government at the 2005 UN World Summit, aimed at preventing and halting Genocide, War Crimes, Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity. R2P stipulates that:

• Every State has the Responsibility to Protect its populations from the four mass atrocity crimes (Pillar I).

• The wider international community has the responsibility to encourage and assist individual States in meeting that responsibility (Pillar II).

• If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take appropriate collective action, in a timely and decisive manner and in accordance with the UN Charter (Pillar III).

IOM is implementing a diverse humanitarian response to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. IOM provides support to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs)— including those seeking shelter in UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) protection of civilian sites (PoCs)—and other vulnerable populations, including host communities, across the country.

IOM is increasing community stabilization, social cohesion and resilience programming to create conditions for peaceful coexistence and lay the foundations for sustainable development. In a difficult working context with considerable logistical challenges and shrinking humanitarian access, IOM emphasizes coordination, flexible programming and direct implementation, including a wide field-based infrastructure.

South Sudan continues to experience widespread conflict and severe food insecurity amid worsening socio-economic conditions. Displacement dynamics are continually shifting, and humanitarian needs remain immense across an expanding area. After many years of conflict, there is a need to address root causes of instability and begin to restore individual, household and community coping mechanisms, particularly for women and youth.

EMERGENCY MOBILE TEAM INTERVENTIONS

IOM provides life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities, displaced populations and famine and disease affected populations.

IOM health Rapid Response Team (RRT) and WASH Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) teams deploy to Cluster’s prioritized locations and the according to the Emergency Response Technical Working Group. Both sectors participate in inter-cluster rapid assessments as needed. IOM has staff and supplies pre-positioned at key points throughout the country to enable rapid response to emerging needs.

WASH ACTIVITIES

• Provision of safe water through:
• Borehole rehabilitation
• Manual drilling of boreholes
• Rehabilitation of Surface Water Treatment systems
• Distribution water treatment supplies
• Water trucking
• Increase sustainability of water supply through formation and training to water management committees and provide “First moving Kit” and spare parts for ongoing care and maintenance of boreholes
• Promote good hygiene and sanitation practices through hygiene promotion activities and distribution of basic household hygiene items

INTRODUCTION & KEY TAKEAWAYS

This Outlook provides an overview of the anticipated humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region from January to June 2018. It focuses on Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and neighbouring countries—including Angola, Kenya and Zambia—that have received refugees and asylum-seekers due to the DRC crisis.

The report covers: drivers of humanitarian crises in the region, particularly the intensification of violence in the DRC; manifestations of humanitarian needs, including record levels of displacement and food insecurity; and constraints to meeting humanitarian needs, including obstacles to humanitarian access and inadequate funding.

The report’s key takeaways are as follows:

• Conflict and internal violence in the DRC have intensified and spread in multiple locations, driving a severe deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the DRC and causing massive displacement, both within the DRC and to neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes region.
These trends are expected to continue in the months ahead. Conflict in the neighbouring states of the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan is also expected to continue to impact the humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region.

• The Great Lakes region is experiencing economic slowdown, rising poverty and increasing costs of basic goods as a result of conflict and political instability. Unless political solutions are found to reverse the current trends, levels of vulnerability and humanitarian needs are expected to rise in the first half of 2018.

• Several locations in the region—western Uganda, north-eastern Rwanda and southern Tanzania—are expected to face higher chances of above normal to normal rainfall from March to May 2018, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides.

• Displacement of populations is increasing at an alarming rate. Nearly 2.8 million people were newly displaced inside, into or from the Great Lakes region in 2017, including about 2.1 million newly internally displaced in the DRC following an escalation in conflict and internal violence in multiple locations. There are now about 7.4 million people internally displaced or living as refugees/ asylum seekers in or from the region1—primarily as a result of the conflicts in CAR, the DRC and South Sudan, and the situation in Burundi—and displacement is expected to rise in the months ahead.

• There is a deepening food insecurity and nutrition crisis in the region, largely driven by conflict, leaving some 10.9 million people severely food insecure at the end of December 2017 across the DRC (7.7 million people), Burundi (2.6 million), Uganda (441,000) and Tanzania (120,000). Over 2.2 million children are estimated to be severely malnourished in the DRC and an estimated 70,000 children under age 5 require treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Burundi. Food insecurity could deteriorate in the coming months if fall armyworm is not contained.

• The region is battling simultaneous outbreaks of communicable diseases. The DRC is facing its worst cholera epidemic in 15 years, and cholera cases have also been reported in Burundi,
Tanzania and Uganda. A high malaria burden— especially in Burundi—is expected to worsen during the upcoming rainy seasons in the region.

• Humanitarian access continues to be impeded by direct attacks and widespread insecurity in the DRC, with this trend expected to continue in the months ahead if violence intensifies and spreads.

The application is vital for early detection of Fall Armyworm and guiding best response

14 March 2018, Rome - FAO has launched a mobile application to enable farmers, agricultural workers and other partners at the frontline of the fight against Fall Armyworm in Africa to identify, report the level of infestation, and map the spread of this destructive insect, as well as to describe its natural enemies and the measures that are most effective in managing it.

The Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning System (FAMEWS) mobile app provides valuable insights on how the insect changes over time and space to improve knowledge of its behaviour in Africa - in a new context - and guide best response.

Fall Armyworm has already infected millions of hectares of maize in Africa - a staple crop across the continent - threatening the food security of more than 300 million people, mainly small-holder farmers who are already struggling to make ends meet and have enough food for their families. By early 2018, only 10 (mostly in the north of the continent) out of the 54 African states and territories have not reported infestations by the fast-spreading, crop-munching pest

“The app will help us build our collective knowledge of Fall Armyworm in Africa, and connect all the dots – from how and where it spreads to what makes it weaker and less damaging,” said Keith Cressman, FAO Senior Agricultural Officer who led the development of the app together with the UN agency’s partners.

“The app is useful on two fronts: for farmers and agricultural workers in the direct management of their crops to prevent further infestations and reduce damage; and for all actors involved in managing Fall Armyworm in Africa, by providing vital analysis on risks, spread and management,” said Cressman.

Helping farmers take appropriate action

Once farmers and workers check their crops for infestations and upload the required data, the app calculates infestation levels so that farmers can take immediate actions to manage the situation.

The data is validated by national Fall Armyworm focal points and transferred to a global web-based platform. It is then analyzed to give a real-time situation overview with maps of Fall Armyworm infestations and the measures that were most effective in reducing its impact.

Initially implemented in Madagascar and Zambia, the app is now being rolled out across all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa affected by the invasive pest through the FAO-supported Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) as well as other community-based forums leading the fight against Fall Armyworm.

Updates to the app in the coming months will provide additional functionality such as an offline advisory system that provides immediate guidance to the user, based on the collected data, and a diagnostic tool that uses the camera of the mobile phone to determine Fall Armyworm damage levels to maize.

The app is an integral part of FAO’s sustainable management programme for Fall Armyworm in Africa. It supports all stages of Fall Armyworm management from early warning and monitoring to response and risk assessment.

Contact
Adel Sarkozi
FAO Media Relations (Rome)
(+39) 06 570 52537
adelka.sarkozi@fao.org

Ethiopia is host to the second largest refugee population in Africa, sheltering over 909,301 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of 28 February 2018.

In the first two months of 2018, 15,097 refugees arrived in Ethiopia, including 7,202 in February. They include more than 10,700 from South Sudan and more than 3,700 from Eritrea.

Ethiopia held the first CRRF Technical Committee workshops on Education and Basic Social Services following the official launch of the CRRF in late November 2017. CRRF Steering Committee meetings continue to be held during the first week of every month.

909,301 Registered Refugees and Asylum-seekers

246,254 Households

Ethiopia Launched the 2018 South Sudan Refugee Response Plan, outlining the collective response of 24 participating organizations.

10,781 South Sudanese refugees have been registered in Ethiopia since the beginning of year.

51 children in Addis Ababa received protection support from the Refugee Outreach Volunteers (ROVs) in February. The ROVs help link UNHCR and partners with the refugees in the city.

by Sean Farell

In 2012, at the age of nine, Daniel Okweng featured on the Trócaire Box as part of that year’s Lenten appeal. He is still bemused by the idea that a million households saw his smiling face every day for two months.

I visited Daniel and his family at their home last week, it had been six years since we last met. Daniel had then been a shy nine year old with a big smile. Now Daniel is a tall 15-year-old teenage.

Yet, Daniel is unlike other 15-year-olds you might know, because his home is a simple hut in northern Uganda and his family is are among the survivors of one of the worst massacres perpetrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during the 20 years of terror the rebel group inflicted on the region.

Daniel was 18 months old at the time when over 300 people were killed in his village of Barlonyo on 21st Feb 2004. The family then spent two years at a IDP (internally displaced persons) camp 40km away.

His mother Betty said: “There was 8,000 people in that camp. There was a lot of sickness and I was sick also. Women with babies were failing. When the time came to deliver, there was difficulty. Many children died and there was no school.”

Returning home after the peace agreement
After the 2006 peace agreement between the LRA and the Ugandan government, Betty and her husband Joel and their neighbours began the cautious return to Barlonyo.

“When we come back, we find the home is just bush. There was no seed, no hoes, no food, nothing at all. We had nothing to send our children to school.”

Trócaire helped many returning families to get their farms and small enterprises functioning again and to re-establish the community structures that gave them a sense of mutual support and security.

“When Trócaire came here, we were very, very hopeless,” says Betty, explaining how the charity helped her and Joel to reclaim their farm and introduced new techniques to ensure better harvests.

The support Daniel's family received ensured that he and his siblings could go to school. Education is the most important thing for Daniel’s parents as it is the only way they can prevent their children from returning to a life of struggle and poverty.

Daniel stands with awkward stiffness, looking downwards as if trying to hide his newly gained height, but ignites into assured and graceful action when a football falls to his feet.

Daniel is a fan of the English premiership and supports Arsenal, ironically for a country that for so long was torn apart by guns, but that was in the past. Daniel is now part of a generation who run for fun, not for their lives.

Trócaire in Uganda

Trócaire has supported humanitarian aid and development projects in Uganda since 1995 and has had a physical presence there since 2005.

It has been particularly active in the northern region, assisting communities to recover from decades of war, supporting agricultural projects, training for work, women’s rights, land rights, and access to water, healthcare and education.

Trocaire responded to the needs of the South Sudanese refugees who began pouring into northern Uganda in late summer 2016.

By the end of this year, Trócaire will have spent €365,000 to support those fleeing violence in South Sudan through local nongovernmental and local church organisations run by Ugandan personnel and encompassing all faiths.

Trócaire’s annual Lenten campaign is currently underway. And it is thanks to the generous donations that children like Daniel are doing so well.

Kyangwali refugee settlement was established in the 1960s to accommodate Rwandan refugees. After many Rwandans repatriated voluntarily in 1994, the settlement has hosted mostly Congolese refugees. Since the start of a new refugee influx from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in mid December 2017, Kyangwali's population has nearly doubled from 36,713 in December 2017 to 68,703 in March 2018, putting a heavy strain on existing services. Many new humanitarian partners have arrived in the settlement to respond to the emergency.

Gaps & Challenges

Refugees reported a lack of nutritional diversity in food distribution and inconsistent ration sizes of maize, flour, and beans. However, full food rations are provided on a monthly basis either in-kind or cash. With residents unable to gather sufficient wood for cooking, food preparation is an issue.
Cholera and diarrheal illnesses have spread across the settlement leading to mortalities. This has been exacerbated by insufficient household latrines, the sharing of communal block latrines, inadequate water and soap supplies, and limited water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) awareness programs.
There is insufficient medical personnel and infrastructure. Refugees reported that some ill patients end up sleeping on clinic floors due to lack of sufficient beds, including children, pregnant women, and elderly refugees with no separate quarters. Limited diagnostic equipment, translation issues, and a lack of medication have also contributed to poor health services for the population.
Income generating activities are limited and allocated plots are too small to cultivate for livelihoods purposes. Refugees who have lived in the settlement for years were using certain areas, such as Maratatu and Mombasa, for farming; this land has recently been allocated to new arrivals, heightening tensions among refugees and between refugees and host community members.
Inclement weather has destroyed emergency shelters, forcing some refugees to sleep outside without any protection. Many refugees are still waiting to receive shelter kits and some persons with special needs (PSNs) need assistance constructing their homes. Previously, some households were relocated without plastic sheets, but as of February 2018, those who did not receive now have plastic sheets for shelters, as well as all new arrivals.
Access to water is limited. There are few water points, which are congested, leading to long waiting times. Some refugees reported sleeping at the tap stands or waking up early to travel long distances in order to claim a spot in line.
Schools have been unable to accommodate new arrivals and many Francophone students with education certificates in French face difficulties enroling. There is a strong desire for residents of all ages to learn English in order to better assimilate.

Strengths & Opportunities

Strong coordination structures across implementing partners, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Uganda's Office of the Prime Minister, and the local government, contributes to a response that is robust and adaptable. This strength was demonstrated in the effective cross-sectoral mass mobilization response to the cholera outbreak.
A positive relationship with the host community and established refugee welfare council (RWC) structures ensures a safe and harmonious environment.

Kyaka II settlement was established in 2005 to receive the remaining population of Kyaka I following the mass repatriation of Rwandan refugees the same year. After this movement, Kyaka I was closed after 21 years of operations. Renewed violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in mid-December 2017 led to a new refugee influx into Uganda, with an estimated 17,000 new refugee arrivals in Kyaka II.
This brought the settlement's population to roughly 44,988 as of early March 2018.

Gaps & Challenges

Health services are insufficient to meet the needs of the population. Many health centres in the settlement have a shortage of beds, drugs, and medical personnel. Respondents noted frustrations with the referral system, such as delays in being referred to regional hospitals and lack of follow-ups to ensure that patients have received required medical treatment.
The education sector is under-resourced. Refugees reported inadequate teachers, few classrooms, language barriers between students and teachers, and prohibitive secondary school fees. Kyaka II has only one secondary school, which is not sufficient to serve all school-aged refugees. Additionally, there are no opportunities for the youth to enrol in vocational programs due to lack of training institutions, although a new centre is under construction and planned to open in May 2018. New arrivals noted that there are few pre-primary schools for children to attend, specifically in Byabakora, Mukondo, and Kakoni zones.
Limited access to land and natural resources has the potential to cause tensions among refugees and with host community members.
Protection concerns mainly root from land allocation, as many refugees reported that the land initially given to them by OPM has been reallocated to new arrivals, causing social unrest. Other protection issues include lack of case follow-ups after reporting crimes, and incidences of bribery and corruption while seeking justice. Additionally, access to livelihoods opportunities is limited especially for persons with specific needs and in particular, women and girls. Some members of these vulnerable group may engage in harmful coping mechanisms such as survival sex.
Because of a lack of vocational training centres, many youth refugees need basic knowledge and skills to engage in various livelihood programs, such as carpentry, hairdressing, mechanics, and tailoring. Refugees who are engaged in agriculture mainly practice subsistence farming due to limited land, shortage of agricultural inputs, and an inability to sell produce at competitive prices.

Strengths & Opportunities

Regular coordination meetings bring together all actors and promote cooperation. The weekly meetings engage all stakeholders to collectively discuss issues regarding service delivery within the settlement. Close coordination was critical to managing the recent and ongoing DRC influx.
There is a strong partnership between settlement leadership and Kyegegwa local government. The systematic coordination between UNHCR, OPM, and local government authorities has enhanced service delivery within the settlement and the host community.
The environmental conditions in Kyaka are conducive for agricultural production. Because the soil and climate are suitable for crop cultivation, refugees are able to grow a variety of crops, which have supplemented food distribution programs as well as created livelihoods for some refugee families.
The presence of electricity and established road networks connect the settlement and host community. Extending the national grid to more parts of the settlements and enhancing roads would improve access to markets, security, and service delivery

Juba, 15 March 2018 – Access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities (HCFs) is essential for the provision of quality care.

In South Sudan, WASH in HCFs is one of the neglected areas within the health systems. Thus, establishing WASH in HCFs is crucial to prevent the risks of health care acquired infection among health care facility staff, patients, caregivers and the wider community.

To strengthen infection prevention and control in primary HCFs; improve the hygiene of oral medication in HCFs and stabilization centers and proper waste segregation management and final treatment, WHO trained over 35 participants drawn from 20 health cluster partners to enhance the capacity of the front line health cluster partners with the necessary skills to mitigate health risks at facility level.

Integrating WASH services in HCFs not only improves infection prevention control (IPC), waste management, water supply and sanitation but also strengthens health systems and improve quality at the point of health service delivery, says Mr Alex Freeman, WASH Focal Person for WHO South Sudan.

Improved sanitation, appropriate waste disposal and hygiene are vital to reduce public health risks in HCFs. The theoretical and practical training held ensures the availability of appropriate and equitable services to address the immediate WASH needs in HCFs and develop comprehensive WASH in health care facilities standards.

Preventing, detecting and responding to epidemic prone disease outbreaks and promoting WASH in HCFs in conflict affected areas is one of the strategic areas of the health cluster, says Ms Magda Armah, Health Cluster Coordinator. The Health Cluster integrated WASH as a pre-requisite of the essential service delivery package to ensure the quality, effectiveness, and use of health care services.

We are very grateful to South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF), which provided financial support for WHO’s emergency WASH programme which is an integral element of the basic health services, said Mr Evans Liyosi, WHO Representative a.i. for South Sudan. WHO focuses on addressing the concerns of the WASH services in health care facilities and ensure the availability of appropriate and equitable WASH services to facilitate safe disposal and improved waste management.

In 2017, WHO assessed 15 health facilities to obtain a complete overview with the essential details for water and sanitation needs of health facilities.

WHO’s involvement in emergency WASH will continue with an increased focus on related activities in health facilities and communities to improve the quality of care and interaction between providers and patients.

Intercommunal violence between Lendu and Hema communities since December has internally displaced over 100,000 people and led to a severe humanitarian crisis. In a conflict where civilians are being directly targeted, protection of the affected population is a major concern. Thousands of houses have been burned down and livelihood activities, including agriculture, have been disrupted, resulting in significant needs for shelter and food assistance.

Anticipated scope and scale

Violence, which started in Djugu territory in December, is spreading to other areas of the province. Over 100,000 internally displaced people have been reported in four out of five territories in Ituri and numbers are increasing. With thousands of houses burned and disruption of harvest, the impact of the crisis is likely to last several months even if the conflict subsides.

The historical tensions between the parties in conflict, the national political crisis affecting the country and the possible involvement of foreign armed groups could lead to a further deterioration of the crisis.

Key Priorities

+100,000 displaced including over 46,000 children

Thousands of houses were burned in over 70 villages

Targeting of civilians +100 people killed

Disruption of harvest leading to crisis food insecurity

Humanitarian Constraints

The highly volatile security context is constraining the access to the most affected areas, including displacement sites. Temporary suspension of humanitarian Thousands of houses operations due to insecurity occur regularly.