NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: Further below is a copy of UNHCR's SUDANFLASH Update dated 08 January 2020. It says it is supporting 18,000 people displaced by violence in Darfur and is rushing relief to 40,000 displaced people in West Darfur and that 5,500 people fled to 12 villages in Chad.
I say, it is sad to note once again the lack of sanitation facilities, water and inadequate humanitarian aid: UNHCR provided plastic sheets to support construction of 50 emergency latrines (50 latrines for thousands of people!); the 5,500 who fled to Chad are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, offering little to no protection from the elements.
How on earth is a multi-billion dollar organisation such as UNHCR and partners managing to get away with providing inadequate basic aid after spending 15 years in Sudan to get it right in Darfur and nearby Chad?
- Additional distributions should bring the total number of recipients to 18,000 by 8 January.
- More Non Food Items (NFIs) are in the pipeline.
- A majority of the displaced, currently scattered at 25 gathering points, found shelter in schools, mosques and government buildings that are not equipped for this purpose and lack sanitation facilities and water. UNHCR provided plastic sheets to support the construction of 50 emergency latrines.
- In addition to the internal displacement in West Darfur, some 5,500 individuals fled to 12 nearby villages in Chad, as assessed by a joint mission of UNHCR and Chadian authorities. They are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, offering little to no protection from the elements.
Extract from a report by Radio Dabanga.org
Dated 09 January 2010 - EK GENEINA /KHARTOUM, SUDAN
UNHCR
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that it and its partners are supporting 18,000 people displaced by violence in Darfur with urgently needed blankets and relief items.
In a flash update issued yesterday [Sudan Watch ed: see copy of UNHCR SUDANFLASH dated 08 Jan 2020 further below] the agency says that an inter-agency response through the Non-Food Item Pipeline, managed by UNHCR, is rushing relief items to some 40,000 displaced men, women and children in West Darfur. In addition, a UNHCR mission in Chad found some 5,500 Sudanese men, women and children who had fled across the border to seek shelter in 12 villages.
In the first days of the distribution, UNHCR distributed non-food item (NFI) kits to over 8,000 vulnerable people. Together with the UN Migration Agency IOM and SRCS (Sudanese Red Crescent Society), an additional 3,000 men, women and children received critical NFIs, including blankets, sleeping mats and jerry cans. Additional distributions should bring the total number of recipients to 18,000 by 8 January. More NFIs are in the pipeline, the statement says.
Photo: UNHCR and partners organising distribution of aid in El Geneina on 6 January. (Photo: UNHCR)
A majority of the displaced, currently scattered at 25 gathering points, found shelter in schools, mosques and government buildings that are not equipped for this purpose and lack sanitation facilities and water. UNHCR provided plastic sheets to support the construction of 50 emergency latrines.
In addition to the internal displacement in West Darfur, some 5,500 individuals fled to 12 nearby villages in Chad, as assessed by a joint mission of UNHCR and Chadian authorities. They are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, offering little to no protection from the elements.
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NOTE from Sudan Watch editor:
Here is a copy of UNHCR SUDANFLASH UPDATE dated 08 January 2020:
WEST DARFUR
UNHCR and partners support 18,000 people displaced by violence in Darfur with urgently needed blankets and relief items
An inter-agency response through the Non-Food Item Pipeline, managed by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is rushing relief items to some 40,000 displaced men, women and children in West Darfur.
In recent weeks, intercommunal clashes between Massalit and Arab tribes in El Geneina, West Darfur, displaced tens of thousands of people, most of whom had already been displaced before and resided in three camps for internally displaced people (IDPs). Current estimates put the total number of displaced at 40,000. In addition, a UNHCR mission in Chad found some 5,500 Sudanese men, women and children who had fled across the border to seek shelter in 12 villages.
In the first days of the distribution, UNHCR distributed non-food item (NFI) kits to over 8,000 vulnerable people. Together with the UN Migration Agency IOM and SRCS (Sudanese Red Crescent Society), an additional 3,000 men, women and children received critical NFIs, including blankets, sleeping mats and jerry cans. Additional distributions should bring the total number of recipients to 18,000 by 8 January. More NFIs are in the pipeline.
A majority of the displaced, currently scattered at 25 gathering points, found shelter in schools, mosques and government buildings that are not equipped for this purpose and lack sanitation facilities and water. UNHCR provided plastic sheets to support the construction of 50 emergency latrines.
In addition to the internal displacement in West Darfur, some 5,500 individuals fled to 12 nearby villages in Chad, as assessed by a joint mission of UNHCR and Chadian authorities. They are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, offering little to no protection from the elements.
A Coordinated Response by UNHCR and Partners
■ UNHCR coordinated the humanitarian response to the serious and evolving situation at the outset. In the meantime, OCHA has taken over this coordination.
ISSUE NO. 1 – 8 JANUARY 2020
Photo: UNHCR and partners organizing the distribution at the Municipality Distribution Center, El Geneina Town, West Darfur on 6 January 2020. ©UNHCR
- NHCR together with IOM, ICRC and NGO partners, such as Catholic Relief Services and SRCS, is currently distributing urgently needed NFIs to the most vulnerable households.
- UNHCR has informed over 100 IDP representatives on criteria how to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable.
- WFP, WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and NGO partners are supporting the health and nutrition responses, ranging from in-patient kits to ready-to-use therapeutic food.
- Key Challenges
- Security remains a major concern at distribution points and when dispatching materials to West Darfur.
- Provision of sustainable shelter: Once people have relocated to a safe location, more sustainable shelter solutions, complemented with NFIs such as plastic sheeting and kitchen sets, will have to be provided.
NFI Pipeline - Explained
UNHCR manages the NFI Common Pipeline which is a source of reliable, predictable Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items for partners.
UNHCR procures, warehouses and transports NFIs to the locations of distribution in Darfur and beyond. Standardized processes reduce costs, avoid duplications of efforts, harmonize the quality and type of items, and thus promote effectiveness.
This ensures a better response to urgent needs of newly displaced and disaster-affected populations who have lost their household belongings. The provision of NFIs has an important impact on health and dignity of refugees and IDPs by protecting them from the elements, providing physical protection (sun, rain and privacy), thus reducing health risks and increasing safety.
[CONTACT US]
Roland Schönbauer
Senior External Relations Officer UNHCR Office Khartoum
Tel.: +249 1 83 472 424 Email: schoenb@unhcr.org Twitter: @R_Schoenbauer
Doris Kuen
Associate Reporting Officer (Protection) UNHCR Office Khartoum
Tel.: +249 91 215 7165 Email: kuen@unhcr.org
