South Sudan: Thanks to UNHCR a new extension site in Renk opened on Jan 2 and can receive up to 30,000

THIS good news post at X/Twitter by Marie-Helene Verney says: "A major breakthrough in the struggle to help thousands fleeing #Sudan conflict. A new extension site in Renk opened today [Jan 2]: it can receive up to 30,000. Thank you to all the partners that have been working throughout the festive season to make it happen. 470,00+ have arrived to [S. Sudan] since April...

A major breakthrough in the struggle to help thousands fleeing #Sudan conflict

A new extension site in Renk opened today: it can receive up to 30,000

Thank you to all the partners that have been working throughout the festive season to make it happen

470,000+ have arrived to… pic.twitter.com/cLbDGFEcNU

— Marie-Helene Verney (@MarieHVerney) January 2, 2024

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Related 

Sudan Watch - December 16, 2023

South Sudan: IOM, UNHCR concerned about risks relocating refugees & returnees from border areas

According to the UN, more than 438,000 people have arrived in South Sudan to escape the conflict in Sudan since April, of which 365,000 South Sudanese and 71,000 refugees. More than 24,000 refugees are stuck in Renk to the refugee camps in Maban County, Upper Nile State due to the current conditions. The road from Maban to Renk has been destroyed by the rains and while UNHCR is currently working on repairs, it has been requesting that the relevant ministries, as well as the private sector, take their share of the works.

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/12/south-sudan-iom-unhcr-concerned-about.html

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Sudan Watch - December 13, 2023

Sudan & South Sudan: Cholera crosses the Sudanese border and bursts into South Sudan refugee camps

At the Renk Transit Center, which has a capacity of 3,000 people, there are more than 16,000 current residents, and the roads that connect this out-of-the-way corner to the rest of the country are waterlogged by floods caused by end-of-summer rains. Renk’s risk lies in the fact that this [Vibrio cholerae] bacillus is transmitted through contact with contaminated foods and liquids, in conditions of overcrowding and lack of safe access to water and sanitation. Read more in this report.

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/12/sudan-south-sudan-cholera-crosses.html

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Sudan Watch - December 10, 2023

Sudan & S. Sudan: From faculties to refugee camps: War has displaced thousands of university students

"The Renk Transit Center [in South Sudan] does not qualify as a refugee camp. It’s a settlement designed as a transit point for about 3,000 people, but Renad, Nyamiji, Nosemba and Emam have been stuck here for several months. More than 18,000 souls are crowded together, due to the incessant flow of arrivals from the neighboring country [Sudan] and the impossibility of transferring refugees to more suitable places. Seasonal rains have flooded and cut off entire roads. Here, the living conditions are dire, because everything is lacking: shelters, clean water, enough food, adequate sanitation, health and educational services". Read more.

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/12/sudan-s-sudan-from-faculties-to-refugee.html

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Sudan Watch - November 18, 2023

100 returnees in Unity State head back to transit camps near South Sudan-Sudan border citing hunger

A hundred South Sudanese who recently returned from Sudan to escape violence are now returning to Sudan due to a worsening humanitarian crisis and hunger in Unity State. Residents in Unity State reported to Radio Tamazuj that the returnees are heading back to Renk and Thuongor transit camps near the South Sudan-Sudan border and the road leading to the Unity oilfield.

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/11/100-returnees-in-unity-state-head-back.html

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Sudan Watch - November 15, 2023

South Sudanese head home from war-torn Sudan

Many people displaced by Sudan's conflict arrive in Renk, South Sudan, where rains have turned the dusty land into mud. 

The majority of those fleeing Sudan arrive through a border crossing near Renk in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State - where the rainy season has turned the dusty land into a muddy mess. Many of the newcomers are hungry, sick and exhausted. One in five children and more than a quarter of pregnant and breastfeeding women screened at the border are malnourished. “It was a very hard journey. We didn’t have anything; no food, no water, no shelter, nothing. It was especially bad when it rained,” says South Sudanese mother Nyanchiu Pehok, who recently arrived in Renk with her eight children.

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/11/south-sudanese-head-home-from-war-torn.html

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Sudan Watch - March 22, 2020

South Sudan: a country on its knees - millions of lives at stake as ‘unity government’ announced

It’s undoubtedly a country on its knees, aptly described by one commentator as a “kleptocracy gone insolvent”, but also a place full of youthful ambition, its average age just 18. In a tarpaulin-clad clinic run by Medair on the outskirts of Renk, a market town in the north of the country, dozens of pregnant young women queue for check ups.  Since the end of 2013, conflict has cost almost 400,000 lives and left six million people, of a population of 11 million, desperately hungry

Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2020/03/south-sudan-country-on-its-knees.html

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Sudan Watch - March 21, 2020

South Sudan: UN report finds all sides of conflict guilty of starving their citizens, govt embezzled funds. Govt struggles to merge soldiers under peace deal

On Thursday, the same day the rival leaders agreed to proceed with implementing the peace deal, the UN released a new report. It finds that all sides of the conflict were guilty of starving their citizens and that the government had embezzled funds that could have gone toward humanitarian support.

Full story:  https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2020/03/south-sudan-un-report-finds-all-sides.html

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ENDS

Thousands fled Sudan to safety in S. Sudan, scenes at Joda border chaotic with arrivals from Madani, Sudan

As we enter #Christmas weekend yet again thousands are fleeing #SudanConflict to seek safety in 🇸🇸
The scenes at Joda border are chaotic with arrivals from #Madani
Humanitarian partners again working against & around the clock
Only solution: the fighting must stop now pic.twitter.com/0ECKUIdvef

— Marie-Helene Verney (@MarieHVerney) December 22, 2023

ENDS

Sudan: SAF & RSF clash in Nyala Janoub (Nyala Town) S. Darfur 10 killed 13 injured 70 households displaced

From Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Sudan 
UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) - https://dtm.iom.int/
Early Warning Flash Alert
Dated Sunday, 31 December 2023 - here is a copy in full including map:

DTM Sudan Flash Alert: Conflict in Nyala Janoub (Nyala Town), South Darfur

DTM Sudan's Early Warning Flash Alerts provide immediate updates on incidents and sudden displacement in Sudan. These Flash Alerts aim to notify humanitarian partners of sudden events where DTM's Emergency Event Tracking (EET) may subsequently take place.

Update Fifteen: 31 December 2023

On 29 December 2023, armed clashed renewed between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala Town of Nyala Janoub locality, South Darfur. Clashes were reported in As Salam neighborhood, in Domaya and Al Mawashi markets and on Domaya bridge. As a result of the violence, 10 individuals were killed, and 13 others were injured. Felid teams reported that approximately 70 households were displaced to As Salam and Otash IDP Camps. The situation remains tense and unpredictable. DTM is monitoring the situation closely and will provide further information on displacement and population mobility across Sudan, on a monthly basis, via its Monthly Displacement Overview.

Disclaimer: Due to the current circumstances, the DTM network is relying on remote interviews with key informants and further verification is not possible at this time.

*DTM Sudan Flash Alerts provide an initial estimation of affected population figures gathered from field reports. All information is therefore pending verification through DTM’s Emergency Event Tracking (EET) and/or registration activities and is not to be used as official figures.

VIEW IN BROWSER

ENDS

Sudan Monthly Displacement Overview 30 Dec 2023

THE Sudan Monthly Displacement Overview posted at X by @IOMSudan 30 Dec 2023 says: 5,855,848 people recently internally displaced; 1,523,350 mixed cross-border movements; Food security, health & non-food items remain priority needs. Full report: https://dtm.iom.int/reports/dtm-sudan-monthly-displacement-overview-04 

🚨@DTM_IOM Sudan Monthly Displacement Overview:

🟡5,855,848 people recently internally displaced
🟡1,523,350 mixed cross-border movements
🟡Food security, health & non-food items remain priority needs.

Read full DTM update here▶️https://t.co/zPiTP1c8gw pic.twitter.com/pFDqtZD1Pi

— IOM Sudan 🇺🇳 (@IOMSudan) December 30, 2023

ENDS

In Chad camps, survivors recount Sudan war horrors, many in critical condition physically & psychologically

AFTER surviving atrocities in their homeland Sudan and the perilous journey abroad, the refugees are now confronting the looming threat of famine. The scarcity of water in the camps in Chad has generated tensions that humanitarian organisations have struggled to calm. Read more.

From France24
By Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Dated Saturday, 23 December 2023 - 17:27 - here is a copy in full:

In Chad camps, survivors recount Sudan war horrors

Adré (Chad) (AFP) – Sitting outside her makeshift shelter in eastern Chad, Sudanese refugee Mariam Adam Yaya warmed up tea on some firewood in a bid to quell the pangs of hunger.

Thousands of Sudanese have fled for neighbouring Chad and found refuge in overcrowded camps such as Adre © Denis Sassou Gueipeur / AFP

The 34-year-old from the Masalit ethnic group crossed the border on foot after a four-day trek with no provisions and her eight-year-old son clinging to her back.

She said "heavily armed" men attacked her village, forcing her to flee and leave seven of her children behind amid brutal violence that has sparked fears of ethnic cleansing.

Sudan has since April 15 been plunged into a civil war pitting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, his former deputy and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Thousands have fled for neighbouring Chad and found refuge in overcrowded camps such as Adre where Yaya has settled.

In the western Darfur region, paramilitary operations have left civilian victims belonging to the non-Arab Masalit group in what the United Nations and NGOs say is a suspected genocide.

In the West Darfur town of Ardamata alone, armed groups killed more than 1,000 people in November, according to the European Union.

"What we went through in Ardamata is horrifying. The Rapid Support Forces killed elderly people and children indiscriminately," Yaya told AFP.

Trauma

Chad, a country in central Africa that is the world's second least developed according to the United Nations, has hosted the highest number of Sudanese refugees.

The UN says 484,626 people have sheltered there since the fighting broke out, with armed groups forcing more than 8,000 people to flee to Chad in one week.

The United States and other Western nations have accused the RSF and its allies of committing crimes against humanity and acts of ethnic cleansing 

© Denis Sassou Gueipeur / AFP

Formal camps managed by NGOs and informal settlements erected spontaneously have sprouted throughout the border region of Ouaddai.

A traumatised Amira Khamis, 46, said she was targeted due to her Masalit ethnicity and has lost five of her children.

Recovering in an emergency medical structure run by the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near the Adre camp after shrapnel fractured her feet, she told AFP women and young girls were raped.

"They systematically kill all the people of dark black colour," she said.

Mahamat Nouredine, a 19-year-old who is nursing a fractured arm and has lost four relatives in the violence, said the RSF mercilessly hounded the Masalit community before he escaped to Chad.

"A group of RSF followed us to a hospital and tried to kill everyone... they laid us on the ground in groups of 20 and fired at us," he said.

"Their unspoken goal is to kill people due to their skin colour."

'Critical conditions'

The United States and other Western nations have accused the RSF and its allies of committing crimes against humanity and acts of ethnic cleansing.

An estimate by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project puts the war's death toll at 12,000. Almost seven million people have fled their homes, according to the UN.

After surviving atrocities in their homeland and the perilous journey abroad, the refugees are now confronting the looming threat of famine.

The scarcity of water in the camps has generated tensions that humanitarian organisations have struggled to calm © Denis Sassou Gueipeur / AFP

Yaya said she and her child have "barely" eaten since their arrival in Chad.

The scarcity of water in the camps has generated tensions that humanitarian organisations have struggled to calm.

Gerard Uparpiu, MSF's project coordinator in Adre, said the influx of Sudanese refugees was creating a "worrying" situation.

"We receive them in critical conditions. They are shaken physically and psychologically," he added.

MSF's hospital is surrounded by fencing and constantly monitored by a guard, measures necessitated by the brutality of a conflict that has not spared the wounded.

"They also attacked us when I was being taken to Chad to receive treatment," said Amir Adam Haroun, a Masalit refugee whose leg was broken by an explosive.

View original: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231223-in-chad-camps-survivors-recount-sudan-war-horrors

ENDS 

Sudan: This elder once again on the road..terrible

How heart-wrenching it is, the exodus, the gripping fear, and this elder once again on the road..terrible pic.twitter.com/PpRZX8npeg

— Sarra Majdoub (@SarraMajd) December 19, 2023

ENDS 

UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Sudan (Darfur) Toby Harward says vital aid needed in Darfur quickly

THIS copy of a Dec 20, 2023 post at X published by UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Sudan (Darfur) Toby Harward @tobyharward says: "Latest clashes in El Fasher & Nyala, Darfur, result in more displacement with new refugees crossing into Chad, & Salamat/Habbaniya inter-communal conflict displacing more than 15,000 persons to Chad & CAR border areas. Um Dukhun already hosts more than 80,000 IDPs & refugees. Imperative that aid reaches this corner of Darfur quickly."

Latest clashes in #ElFasher & #Nyala, #Darfur, result in more displacement w/ new refugees crossing into Chad 🇹🇩 , & Salamat / Habbaniya inter-communal conflict displacing > 15,000 persons to Chad & CAR 🇨🇫 border areas. Um Dukhun already hosts > 80,000 IDPs & refugees. Imperative…

— Toby Harward | طوبي هارورد 🇺🇳 (@tobyharward) December 20, 2023

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Postscript from Sudan Watch Editor:

El Fasher is in North Darfur State. Nyala is in South Darfur State. Um Dukhun is in Central Darfur State. This map 'Darfur Conflict Zones and Refugee Camps' is undated. Central Darfur State is a state in south-western Sudan, and one of five comprising the Darfur region. It was created in January 2012 as a result of the ongoing peace process for the wider Darfur region. Its state capital is Zalingei. The state was formed from land that had been part of the states of West Darfur and South Darfur. Abeche is in Chad.

ENDS

Sudan: Sennar, where thousands of people fleeing Wad Madani have arrived, is a panicked city says NRC

#Sudan: @AhmedOmer, Communications Coordinator in Sudan describes the current situation in Sennar, where thousands of people fleeing Wad Madani have arrived. pic.twitter.com/yq2oftVm7G

— NRC East Africa and Yemen (@NRC_EAY) December 19, 2023

Transcript of sub-titles taken from the above audio clip:

Ahmed Omer’s voice 

Communications Coordinator at NRC [Norwegian Refugee Council] in Sudan 

"They are hungry, they are panicked, they are ill and the situation in the city is getting difficult. There is no fuel in the city even for the cars. That is why the transportation fees is increasing. There is no fuel. Even in the black market it is difficult to find and when you find it is more than 50,000 SDG per a gallon of petrol.

People here in Sennar, are trying to get in vehicles, whatever vehicle you find, you just jump on to it, particularly trucks, the pickup trucks and the bigger trucks. They jump on it. I saw this on the streets. They just jump. But for the families, for women and children, it’s really difficult. So they are trying to hire buses or to take buses. And buses are limited here. 

So what I’m seeing here right now in front of me are people on the streets, in the streets just carrying their luggages and walking, just people walking. It reminds me of Khartoum and what happened there when we saw people walking. When we saw the pictures of people walking, taking the luggages with them. So it’s a panicked city".

END

Sudan: Areas of immediate humanitarian concern are Al Fasher N Darfur, River Nile, Wad Medani Aj Jazirah

SUDAN 

Areas of immediate humanitarian concern

Flash Update No: 01, as of Monday, 18 December 2023 

Source: OCHA 

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Situation in Al Fasher, North Darfur State
On 16 December 2023, clashes renewed between SAF and RSF in Al Fasher Town of Al Fasher locality, North Darfur. As a result of the violence, the DTM reported three individuals were reportedly killed, and 10 others were injured. It was also reported that approximately 750 people have been displaced. Affected residents have been displaced from Abu Shock and Al Salam IDP camps to eastern neighborhoods within Al Fasher Town. Personal and commercial property was reportedly burnt and looted. The situation remains tense and unpredictable.

Situation in River Nile State
On 17 December, the authorities in River Nile State issued a decision to close the Nile crossings and bridges at 22.00 hours to 06.00 hours. These include nightly closure of the Umm Al-Tuyour and Al-Bashir bridges which constitute Nile crossing points for movement between the River Nile State and the Northern and Khartoum states.

Following RSF’s attack and looting of the Sudanese Police Force Station at Umm Shadida, in Shendi locality there have been increased fears of possible assaults on Atbara or Ed Damer due to their strategic connection with the rest of Sudan including eastern Sudan and Northern State.

Situation in Wad Medani, Aj Jazirah State
For information regarding the situation in Wad Medani please refer to our latest flash update: Sudan: Clashes in Wad Madani between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - Flash Update No: 03 (as of 18 December 2023)

Background

After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict of alarming scale in mid-April 2023 when fighting between SAF and RSF, broke out initially in the capital Khartoum on April 15, and quickly expanded to other areas across the country. Khartoum has been the site of heavy fighting, while severe violent clashes and heavy bombardments have also been reported in the greater Darfur and Kordofan regions. The hostilities have resulted in extensive damage to critical infrastructure and facilities, including water and healthcare, the collapse of banking and financial services, frequent interruptions to electricity supply and telecommunication services and widespread looting. Since the conflict broke out, humanitarian needs have increased and almost 25 million people now require assistance in Sudan. More than 6.7 million people have been forced to leave their homes in search of safety elsewhere.

An estimated three million people live in North Darfur State. 2.7 people need humanitarian assistance. Since April 15, nearly 446,000 people are displaced in North Darfur with about 86 per cent displaced from within the State. 147,000 of those are in Al Fasher town. About 966,000 people are in crisis (IPC 3) and above levels of food security in the state with 335,000 in Al Fasher between October 2023 and February 2024, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). There are ten humanitarian organizations working in the state, including one INGO and nine NNGOs. So far this year humanitarian organizations have reached 383,000 people in the State with food assistance, WASH, health and other humanitarian interventions.

An estimated two million people live in River Nile State, 636,000 people need humanitarian assistance. Since April 15, nearly 616,000 people fled to River Nile State, 94,000 of those are in Atbara. About 247,000 people are in crisis (IPC 3) and above levels of food security in the state with 27,000 in Atbara between October 2023 and February 2024, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). There are 16 humanitarian organizations working in the state, including four INGOs, seven NNGOs and five UN agencies. So far this year humanitarian organizations have reached 201,000 people in the State with food assistance, WASH, health and other humanitarian interventions.
 
***
For more information, please contact: Sofie Karlsson, Head of Communications and Analysis, OCHA Sudan, karlsson2@un.org, Mob: +249 (0)912 174 456

Download the Flash Update here

Related Content

Sudan: Clashes in Wad Madani between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - Flash Update No: 03 (as of 18 December 2023)

View original: https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-areas-immediate-humanitarian-concern-flash-update-no-01-18-december-2023

END