From UN OCHA SUDAN
Flash Update No: 05
Dated Thursday, 28 December 2023 - here is a copy in full:
Clashes in Wad Medani between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
SITUATION OVERVIEW
More than 250,000 – 300,000 people have fled Aj Jazirah State following the clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) around Wad Madani, the capital of Aj Jazirah State, according to the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). Fighting broke out in the morning of 15 December between the SAF and the RSF in the outskirts of Wad Medani, 136 km southeast of the national capital Khartoum. On December 18, RSF reportedly entered Wad Medani town and by December 19 took control of the city.
There are reports of displaced people from Wad Medani and other parts of Aj Jazirah State arriving in Gedaref, Kassala, Red Sea, Sennar and White Nile states. Mobile network and internet connectivity challenges in parts of Aj Jazirah, White Nile and other adjacent areas are making it difficult for partners to collate information on the latest numbers of people displaced and their immediate needs. The number of displaced people by destination and hosting location will be available once the numbers are registered and verified.
Many IDPs reportedly arrived at the existing IDP gathering sites (collective centers) in and around Gedaref and Sennar. The majority sought shelter within the host communities, and local authorities and partners in Gedaref estimate that about 15,000 people have sought shelter with the host communities in Gedaref town, the capital of Gedaref State.
In Red Sea State, the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) has reported that on 25 September an estimated 3,000 IDPs from Wad Medani arrived in Port Sudan, and another 980 on 26 December, with more IDPs expected in the coming days. The Red Sea State Committee on displacement and relief issues identified nine new sites at Al Souk al Shabi – mainly schools - to receive the newly displaced people. HAC reported an urgent need for shelter, food and non-food supplies for the newly arriving IDPs. Some of the new IDPs are living with host communities in the city.
Humanitarian response
Host communities in the localities receiving IDPs from Wad Medani are responding to meet the basic needs of the arriving IDPs. Site Management Cluster partners are closely coordinating with local authorities in Gedaref, where authorities have activated a daily emergency cell meeting to monitor the situation and ensure preparedness for increased arrivals to the town centre. Humanitarian partners in Gedaref have come forward with responses across WASH, Health, Protection and Food assistance to the IDPs once the relocation site is finalised and the IDPs start arriving on site. An inter-sectoral rapid needs assessment (ISRNA) is proposed in Gedaref among the communities displaced from Aj Jazirah. The local authorities are supporting the ISRNA, which would help the humanitarian actors to mobilise resources for the response. ISRNA will commence once the list of IDP gathering sites has been finalised by the authorities in Gedaref.
In Kassala, about 3,000 new IDPs from Aj Jazirah’s Medani Al Kubra locality, Hantoub administrative unit received high energy biscuits and Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) for pregnant and lactating women and children from WFP as the initial food support for 4-5 days, with more comprehensive food and livelihoods assistance to come as the needs assessments are finalised and the numbers of the displaced people become available.
In Red Sea State, the Port Sudan Youth Initiative started providing ready meals with limited resources. The Red Sea Gathering Site Coordination Meeting on 27 December agreed to field an inter-agency assessment mission in the coming days to two IDP hosting locations in Port Sudan - Abdalla Nagi and Salalab Al Garbia.
In Sennar, HAC reported that about 1,770 displaced households arrived at various locations in Sennar and Sinja localities since the fighting started in Wad Medani. Humanitarian partners continue providing support to newly arrived IDPs from Aj Jazirah and also those from Khartoum.
The State Council for Child Welfare, in collaboration and with support from UNICEF, continues the registration of separated and unaccompanied children to provide services for them in all localities of Sennar State.
Child Development Foundation (CDF) and Save the Children (SCI) opened 10 child friendly spaces through the Council for Child Welfare in Sennar and Sinja localities with support from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and UNICEF. UNICEF, through the Council of Child Welfare, provided clothes and personal aids to children living with disabilities.
With support from UNICEF, the Council of Child Welfare activated 10 community-based protection networks (CBPNs) in Sennar and Sinja localities to provide protection services to children in need and refer cases for protection support. CDF established a CBPN targeting 60 people in the Suki locality. Also, the Council formulated a Women and Children Protection Network Group to trace and follow up on the issues of children's and mothers' protection.
Earlier this week, IMC provided medical supplies for two months to five primary healthcare centers (three in Suki and two in Sinja localities), in addition to the ongoing mobile clinic in Karkoug, Sinja locality, serving IDPs from Khartoum and Aj Jazirah. IMC provided more than 1,300 medical consultations to the IDPs. It has also provided nutrition services to the IDPs through outpatient therapeutic programs (OTP) at five primary healthcare centres (PHCs). IMC distributed hygiene cholera kits to 880 IDPs in three IDP gathering sides in the Sennar locality. IMC continues to support the State Ministry of Health (SMoH) Rapid Response Team (RRT) staffing and logistical support for the RRT.
CDF conducted training sessions on gender-based violence (GBV) and psychosocial support for 30 people in Sinja and Suki localities and GBV prevention awareness raising sessions for 30 people in the Sinja locality. It also established a community compliant feedback mechanism in Sennar locality.
Relief International (RI) will deploy shortly two mobile clinics to support IDPs from Aj Jazirah. A RI team from Blue Nile plans to visit Sennar state with one ambulance and medical supplies for the mobile clinics on 28 December.
In Blue Nile, HAC reported that about 500 IDPs arrived in Ed Damazine and more displaced people may arrive in the coming days. About 460 people are sheltering at two schools in Ed Damazine town - 243 people at Nahda school and 216 IDPs at Arkaweet school. Human Appeal and other organizations have provided some assistance to the displaced people, including food for IDPs at Nahda school.
Background
After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict of alarming scale when fighting between SAF and RSF broke out initially in 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 6.8 million people have been forced to leave their homes for safety elsewhere.
An estimated 5.9 million people live in Aj Jazirah State, Sudan’s breadbasket, with 700,000 living in Wad Medani. More than 270,000 people in the town need humanitarian assistance. Since April 15, 2023, nearly 500,000 people have fled to Al Jazirah State, 86,400 of whom are in Wad Medani. About 1.9 million people are in crisis (IPC 3) and have above-level food security in the state, with 179,000 in Medani between October 2023 and February 2024, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). There is an ongoing cholera outbreak in Aj Jazirah and neighboring states. 57 humanitarian organizations work in the state, including 25 INGOs, 21 NNGOs and six UN agencies. So far this year humanitarian organizations have reached 730,000 people in Aj Jazirah with food assistance, WASH, health and other humanitarian interventions.
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For more information, please contact: Alimbek Tashtankulov, Public Information Officer, OCHA Sudan, tashtankulov@un.org, Mob: +249 (0)912 160361
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